The Games We Played
by abugsaunt
Summary: AU. Peeta spends his teen years living in the seam and training to fight in the rebellion.He ends up competing in the 75th hunger games with 71 other tributes. In the Capitol, he meets Cato and many others who are aware of the upcoming rebellion. Many pairings including Peeta/Cato WARNING This is rated M for violence, language, and eventual sexy content. Male/Male relationship
1. Chapter 1

_AU. Instead of your favorite Hunger games characters starting to meet in the 74__th__ annual games, they meet at the 75__th__. All hunger game characters will show up at some point in the story. _

_**The Games We Played**_

Chapter 1 – Peeta's past

Peeta sat by the window, watching the scenery passing by, and reflecting on his life. He can remember the turning point clearly. He was eleven. It was raining hard especially for April. His mother had heard a noise outside and went to check it out. When she came back in, she was muttering something about 'seam trash' and 'calling the Peacekeepers'. Peeta looked out the window and saw a huddled figure leaning on their sad little tree next to the pigpen. He instantly recognized the figure because of the braid – it was his classmate and friend Katniss Everdeen. 'Didn't her father die recently?' he thought.

"Get that bread out of the oven before it burns you pathetic little fool!" his mother yelled.

Peeta purposely dropped two loaves of bread into the fire of the oven. He knew that it would cost him but she was worth it. And when he pulled out the two burnt loaves, his mother was right there. She grabbed the rolling pin lying on the counter next to him and smacked him upside the right side of his face.

"You fool! Who will buy burnt bread? Throw it to the pigs! I should just keep you out there with them! You about as useful as they are! Wait, they are more useful!" she spat at him.

"Yes ma'am" he replies.

He grabs the burnt bread. As he walks to the back door, he hears the bell over the front door ring signaling a customer. He thought his luck might just be changing. He walks down the back porch towards the pen. He glances at the window to make sure his mother wasn't watching him. He doesn't see her so he tosses one than the other of the two loaves towards the tree and Katniss. As he's walking towards the back door, he sees Katniss snatch the bread off the ground and run away. What he didn't see was his mother watching the same scene from the window on the back door. As Peeta opened the door, his mother starts to hit him. He doesn't see what he's being hit with but it really hurt! He tries to protect himself as best he can but it's no use.

The last thing his mind registers before everything goes black is hearing his mother say, "You are no longer a member of this family! Do NOT ever show your face around this bakery again!"

13 year old Gale Hawthorne was walking home from the Hob when he found the unconscious Peeta bleeding pretty bad in the middle of the street. He looked towards the bakery and saw his friend Rie inside alone. Gale runs to the bakery and goes in. Rie sees him.

"If this is about Peeta, mom disowned him and kicked him out. We're not allowed to help or talk to him. Take care of him Gale." He says before turning and walking to the back of the bakery.

Gale runs back to Peeta and takes him to the one person who could help him, Mrs. Everdeen.

It takes him 15 minutes to get to the Everdeen house. Peeta's breathing is shallow. Gale is worried. Before he has a chance to knock, a short blonde haired girl opens the door. "Gale? Who's that?" she asks as she notices the blood, "Never mind, hurry and get him to the table." She steps back to let him through the door. "Katniss clear the table. Mom, Gale is carrying someone who's bleeding pretty heavy." Even at 7 years old, Prim knows what to do; she's been helping out for the past couple of months.

Mrs. Everdeen spends most of her time sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. She ONLY moves if it's an emergency. And Peeta's an emergency. Gale sets Peeta on the table. Katniss hands him a bucket for him to fill while she runs to get more linens and bandages. Prim gathers more candles close by in case they need more light.

"What happened?" Mrs. Everdeen asks.

Gale shakes his head, "All Rie would tell me was that Mrs. Mellark disowned him and kicked him out. Rie and Wheet aren't allowed to help or talk to him. I'll be right back to help; I need to check in with my mom." He turned and went out the door.

"I bet his mother did this – beat him. I saw her hit him earlier with a rolling pin," says Katniss quietly. "He tossed me those 2 burnt loaves of bread. Just help him."

Mrs. Everdeen and Prim begin to clean him up, first cleaning the blood off. They start with his head. He has a couple places that need stitches. Once those are done, they work on his face. His right eye is black and swollen, his nose is bleeding but not broken, his upper lip is split, and he bit his tongue making it bleed. They move down removing his shirt. His ribs are badly bruised. Mrs. Everdeen suspects some are cracked so she wraps them. Gale returns in time to help remove Peeta's pants. He is sickened by what he sees. Peeta has a broken leg! Mrs. Everdeen and Gale set it as best they can. She bandages it up and uses the last of her resin stores to firm up the bandages. When they're all done and everything is cleaned up, she sends Katniss and Prim to bed. She turns to Gale. "You can head home Gale if you want."

"I'm going to stay if you don't mind. When I went home earlier I asked mom to take Peeta in. She agreed. I'd like to tell him when he wakes."

Mrs. Everdeen smiles at Gale. "Stay as long as you want. He can go with you tomorrow. And it's very nice of your family to take him in."

Gale looks over to Peeta saying, "His brother is my friend. I know how his mother treated him yet he is still a kind-hearted boy. He deserves better."

Gale sits in a chair next to Peeta and Mrs. Everdeen goes to bed.

The next morning, Peeta wakes up and has no idea where he is but is in pain. He hears a noise and turns his head to see Gale sitting there with his head on his arms, snoring quietly. He tries to sit up but the sharp pain causes him to moan waking Gale.

"Hey Peeta! You're awake. I'd ask how you're feeling but I heard that moan." says Gale smiling at Peeta.

"Where am I and how'd I get here?" he asks.

Gale looks at him, his face serious, "I saw you in the street last night, all bloody and not moving. Rie told me your mother kicked you out. I picked you up as best I could and brought you here to the Everdeen house. Prim and Mrs. Everdeen fixed you up. While they were doing that, I ran home to talk to my mom." He gives Peeta a moment to take everything in before continuing. "There's one more thing Peeta. Since you can't go home, you need somewhere to go. So, after talking to my mom, you are going to come live at my house."

Peeta looked at the older boy in shock, "I'm living with you?" he asks.

"Yes," replies Gale. "But it won't be easy. You are going to learn to hunt with me. With you living with us, it makes for six mouths to feed. I'm really going to need your help."

Peeta smiles, "I'd love to learn to hunt and help your family in exchange for a roof over my head. Thank you Gale."

"No problem buddy" replies Gale.

An hour later, after Mrs. Everdeen gives her okay, Gale takes Peeta to his new home. When they arrive they find Gale's mother in the living room with Peeta's brother Rie. "Peeta, are you okay?" asks Rie.

"I'm fine but if mother finds out you've talked to me you'll be in trouble." Peeta says.

"Dad sent me here after sending mother to run the errands. He also sent your stuff," he says pointing to a large box. "He packed it while mother was sleeping. He said to tell you to take care of yourself. I got to go. Thank you for the tea Mrs. Hawthorne. Good bye." With that Rie left.

Gale helps Peeta to the seat Rie vacated. He then gets the box for Peeta. Inside the box were Peeta's clothes, shoes, art supplies, and a smaller box. Inside the smaller box were 6 cheese buns and 3 loaves of bread which he promptly gave to Mrs. Hawthorne saying, "Thank you for taking me in, Mrs. Hawthorne. As soon as I can, I will be happy to help you in whatever way I can."

She takes the bread. "Please call me Hazel, Peeta. When Gale told me what happened it was never a question in my mind to have you live here. Plus, I know he'd love to have a hunting partner."

It is later decided Peeta will sleep on the couch until his cast comes off and better arrangements can be made.

The next 6 weeks pass slowly for Peeta. In that time, Peeta becomes great friends with Gale and Katniss. She even celebrates her 12th birthday at the Hawthorne's with her friends. She brings Peeta's homework to him. She said it was to pay him back for the bread and the beating he got. He tried to tell her it wasn't her fault that it most likely would've happened anyway. She just shrugged and helped him anyway.

It was a warm May morning when Peeta's cast finally came off. Gale had helped him to the Everdeen's house. As soon as it was off and Mrs. Everdeen gave him the okay, the three friends went to the electric fence to sneak into the forest. They checked to make sure the electricity was off before climbing through the hole in the fence. Katniss leads the boys to a hollowed out log where she keeps her bow and arrows. She decides that she will teach the boys to shoot. Gale then leads them to where he sets his snares, collecting 2 rabbits and a squirrel. The two younger kids are impressed and want to learn how to set one. He then shows them how to throw a knife by having them aim for a large tree. After about an hour, Katniss decides to hunt with her bow for a bit. Gale has Peeta practice setting snares and throwing knives at a smaller target. They stay in the forest for the whole day. When they finally decide to head out, the three friends have 4 rabbits, a hare, and 3 squirrels. They saw a deer but Peeta stepped on a twig and it ran. He kept apologizing to his friends, but they weren't upset. It was his first time in the forest after all.

Over the next two months, the three friends go into the forest daily. Gale and Peeta have improved significantly with a bow. Peeta and Katniss have improved with knife throwing and setting snares. Peeta's step is slowly getting lighter. They begin to discuss the reaping. The reaping is coming as is Peeta's birthday which is in 2 days. It will be both Katniss and Peeta's first reaping and Gale's second. They're scared. Afraid of what will happen to the two families if they are chosen. They make a pact, the three. If one is reaped the remaining two will care for the two families. If two are reaped, the remaining one will care for the families, teaching the younger ones to hunt and help gather.

Reaping day comes and goes. The three friends are safe for another year. Peeta sees his family there but he ignores them as they ignore him. The time he's spending living with the Hawthorne's is teaching him what true family love and loyalty is like. Hazel treats Peeta as her fourth son. Gale and his younger brothers, Rory and Vick, are the kind of brothers one would want - teasing yet protective. And little Posy loves it when Peeta plays with her, whether it's Peek-a-Boo or This Little Piggy. Peeta helps where he can with the cooking, dishes, laundry, as well as the hunting for food. But Peeta doesn't do any trading, leaving it to Gale and Katniss. He doesn't want to run into any of his family and be snubbed. On the day before the reaping, Gale was able to trade to get the ingredients for Peeta to make cheese buns. Peeta made the buns to celebrate not being reaped. There was even enough food to invite the three Everdeen females over for dinner. After dinner, the two families watched the tribute parade together. The District 12 tributes were dressed as coal miners yet again. When the parade was over, Katniss and her family went home. School starts tomorrow so the three friends agree to meet in the forest before sunrise to get in some hunting.

The hunt went really well. They got a stag, 3 rabbits, and 4 squirrels. One rabbit and 2 squirrels went to Katniss's family, 2 rabbits and 2 squirrels went to the Hawthorne's, while the deer went to the butcher for coins. School was a little more complicated. Everyone knew what happened to Peeta the previous spring and those he called friends before stopped talking to him. If it wasn't for Katniss and Gale, Peeta might not have lasted the whole day. He had been pushed, teased, and laughed at. His new friends stood up for him and gave him the confidence to keep his head held high. When Gale and Peeta got home, Peeta snuggled with Posy. He needed her sweetness to remind him that he was cared about by others. It's not that Gale and Katniss didn't care, just that Posy didn't have a mean bone in her tiny body. And she gave Peeta great smiles.

Time moves on quickly. Gale turns 14 and Katniss and Peeta turn 13. Their hunting skill as a group has vastly improved. They learned to communicate not with words, but hand signals and whistles. Peeta develops muscles he never knew he had, especially in his legs, running, jumping over fallen trees, and climbing. He climbs trees and hops branch to branch looking for large game. When he sees something big, he signals to Katniss and/or Gale to go in for the kill. Once the game has been killed, Peeta guts it and carries it back to the fence. Sometimes they split the kill, half to the Everdeen's and half to the Hawthorne's. Other times, they take it to the butcher's. The reaping comes and once again the trio is safe for another year.

The next spring, the three friend's lives change once again. While taking a lunch break at the lake, they hear someone walking towards them. Peeta climbs up the nearest tree and searches for the person making the noise. Who he sees shocks him. It's Haymitch Abernathy, District 12's only living Hunger Games Victor! Peeta signals down to his friends before climbing down. The three wait for him to come upon them. When he sees the trio, he doesn't seem surprised. The kids offer Haymitch something to eat. They eat in silence. When done eating, Gale asks why he was in the woods. Haymitch tells them he was on his way home from somewhere he can't talk about right now. The three are shocked. Haymitch then tells the kids how he and other Victors are training and preparing for a rebellion. He takes a good look at the trio, "If you want to join the rebellion meet me here in two weeks. I will bring a couple of rebels with me to begin training."

Haymitch then leaves the kids to discuss the offer among themselves. Gale was definitely going to join. He has hated the Capitol since his father died in the mine explosion and he was forced to perform illegal activities. Peeta wanted to join as well, but secretly fears war isn't the answer. Katniss worried that she would be away from Prim too much and unable to protect her but after discussing her thoughts, realized that if the rebels won there'd be no more Hunger Games and Prim could live a long and happy life. So, two weeks later, the three went to the lake and waited for Haymitch to arrive with the trainers. They met Senior Trainer Boggs, an older man around 40 with graying hair, large build, and blue-gray eyes; and his team members Jackson, a middle aged woman who specialized in guns, and Mitchell, older man, demolition trainer. The three were originally from District 2. They had trained tributes until Boggs realized the games were just a way to murder children for the Capitol's entertainment as well as keeping the 12 Districts in line. He left and lived in the forest outside District 12 for a couple years before finding a new home. Boggs taught the trio hand-to-hand combat, how to shoot different types of guns, and some field medical training. When the reaping came, and the three breathed a sigh of relief when they once again were safe.

Another year passes and there once again was a major change in Peeta's life. Peeta's brother Rie had fallen in love with a seam girl. Their mother threw a fit but Rie stood his ground. Somehow his fate wasn't like Peeta's and he remained at the bakery. He also decided that he wanted to repair relationship with Peeta. He knew about the hunting so he asked Peeta and Gale to teach him to hunt. At the same time, Katniss's friendship with Madge Undersee and Delly Cartwright became stronger when Katniss kept them from being bullied by an older boy by putting him in a headlock. They wanted Katniss to teach them how to defend themselves. Two weeks later, and after discussing it with Haymitch, Rie, Delly, and Madge met Boggs, vowed to join the rebellion, and began training. The group also met and got training from District 4 victor Finnick O'dair and District 7 victor Johanna Mason. Finnick was tall and muscular with sea green eyes and bronze, wavy hair. Johanna was about Peeta's height, strong, with short spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. That year's reaping was especially filled with worry as there were now 6 of them. But the young rebels were safe for yet one more year.

The next year is filled with training and hunting. Gale and Katniss had a new worry for this year's reaping. Prim and Rory were now 12. Both would have their names in the bowl once. As the time for the reaping grew closer, Prim and Rory began having nightmares about being reaped. Try as they might, Gale and Katniss couldn't help but feel at a loss over their siblings worries. They began to hunt less and less instead choosing to spend more time with the younger ones. Peeta would often hunt alone, understanding what his friends needed. The meat was still coming in thanks to Peeta but only enough to keep the families fed. Rie, Madge, and Delly all offered to help with the hunting and Peeta would let them sometimes. But deep down, he wanted to go alone so he could have the privacy to break down and cry over the injustice of Prim and Rory being forced to put their lives on the line for the entertainment of the Capitol and its citizens. Trainings have become more intense. A lot of running and climbing drills that leave them exhausted. But the fears of being reaped were relieved once again when none of the 8 were chosen.

Sadly their luck had ran out. Gale and Rie were now 18. The other 4 are now 17. There was a hint that things could turn tragic when President Snow read the 3rd Quarter Quell Card. First the was the recap of the prior Quells. During the first Quarter Quell, the districts voted for the tributes. The Second Quarter Quell, the one that Haymitch had been in, had 2 males and 2 females that were sent. This year, "_in honor of the 3__rd__ Quarter Quell_", 3 males and 3 females would be sent to the Hunger Games. Never had so many been sent in! 72 children are going to fight to be the last one standing. The 6 junior rebels made a pact. If any of them were reaped, the remaining would care for the others families. But none of them could foresee what was about to happen. Effie Trinket, the pink haired, pink dressed Capitol citizen and District 12 escort, started with the girls. First she called Madge, then Delly. The last name drawn was Primrose Everdeen. Katniss, ever protective of her younger sister, volunteered. Then Effie began drawing the boy's names. First she called Rie's name. Then she drew Gale's. But it was the last name she called that surprisingly hurt the group the most. Rory Hawthorne. Peeta watched as Rory made his way to the stage. Peeta saw the pain and fear in Gale's eyes and knew he couldn't allow it to happen so he screamed, "I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute for Rory Hawthorne!" Even Haymitch, who was normally drunk but stayed sober for this particular reaping, was visibly upset. Peeta ran up to the stunned Rory and hugged him close. He whispered for him to go be with the family. Rory nodded and watched Peeta go on stage. Rory watched as Effie asked his name.

"Peeta Mellark" he said.

"How do you know that boy?" asked Effie.

Peeta looked at her and said, "He is my friend and he's family."

Haymitch had this sadness in his eyes as he watched the 6 of them standing together. When Effie asked to applaud the 6 brave teens, no one clapped. Instead, every member of the community raised three fingers to their lips then into the air. The teens watched with shock. This salute that meant _goodbye to those who were loved_ touched them deeply. Haymitch had always thought of these 6 kids as his own. It looked as if the whole town did too.

But even all that wasn't what had Peeta so deep in thought. No, it was his own parents. He had not seen them since the day his mother had beat him and left him on the street. But there she was, with his father, in the room to say their goodbyes. He saw his father in passing over the years but never spoke to him. Peeta sat on the couch and looked at the two of them, showing no emotion on his face. But the anger was there hidden. He waited to hear whatever venom his mother wanted to spit at him. He hoped she'd say something just so he could kick her out. She was smart enough to wait until time was almost up before she walked to the door and said, "Well, some lucky tribute is going to finish the job I started 5 years ago. Maybe Rie will be the lucky one to finally rid this world of your presence." She was gone before Peeta could react. His father just handed Peeta a small package from his pocket and left without ever saying a word to Peeta.

Next to see him was Hazel, Rory, Vick, and Posy. Posy crawled up into Peeta's lap. She couldn't understand what was going on, just that her 2 big brothers were going to go away. Hazel looked at Peeta. "You have been like a son to me these last 5 years. You helped feed the family, helped care for Gale and the younger ones when they were sick, and helped me in every other way you could. Now you saved Rory from the games. Peeta, please stay safe. If Gale can't make it back, I will hope for you to come back home to us."

Peeta set Posy down on the couch next to him. He went and squatted in front of Hazel. "You are the mother I always wanted when I was younger. I've considered you my mother for a long time. And Rory as my brother. I couldn't let him go in. Gale wouldn't be able to handle it if Rory was in the games with him. I will do everything I can to make sure Gale, or myself, come home."

He gives Hazel a hug. He turns to Rory and Vick. He can see Rory wanted to say something but Peeta talked first. "You guys take care of mom and Posy until Gale or I come home. Promise me." The two boys promise and Peeta hugs them both. He looks at Rory, "I had to volunteer to take your place. You did not deserve to be chosen."

He then stands, goes to the couch, and sits next to Posy. He pulls her into his lap. "Sweet Posy, I have to go away but I left you a present. When you get home, under your bed is your surprise. You be a good girl and remember Gale and I love you very much." Posy's lit up when Peeta mentioned a present. It wasn't much really. Peeta painted a picture of the family, himself included. With the painting was a stack of papers and 2 pencils.

Peeta's last visitors were Prim and Mrs. Everdeen. Prim ran up to Peeta and wrapped her arms around him. Peeta wasn't sure why they were here but he was glad they were. Mrs. Everdeen just looked at Peeta for a moment before saying, "Take care of yourself Peeta. You're a fighter. You fought to live when your mother nearly killed you. You fought and killed that bear that almost killed Katniss. Don't let them win. Prim, I'll be waiting out here." And she was out the door.

Peeta looked at Prim. She could be his sister, they looked that much alike. Peeta begins, "Prim, I know what Katniss probably already gave you a list of do's and don'ts so I won't repeat anything. I left you and your mother a gift. I painted a picture of the 3 of you, as well as Lady and Buttercup. It's under the couch. If something happens to me, look at that painting and remember me." Prim nods, tears running down her face. She gives Peeta one last hug before leaving.

His last visitor was a shock. It was Boggs. He was dressed as a Peacekeeper. He gives Peeta a hug and quickly whispers in his ear, "Peeta, I don't have a lot of time. I wanted to tell you that there is the possibility that some of the tributes you'll meet in the games were trained by rebels such as myself. Watch out for them. Try to get them all into an alliance with you. You'll get orders in the arena." Boggs then leads Peeta out the door to the awaiting Peacekeepers taking him to the train to the Capitol.

An hour later he is sitting by the window on a train, watching the scenery go by.


	2. Chapter 2 Arrival in the Capitol

_**The Games We Played**_

**A/N: So, here's the second chapter. The third chapter is almost complete and is almost 10,000 words! **

**A shout out to my only reviewer, catchingfire 1714. You thought the first chapter was intense, wait until the games start, lol. **

**To everyone who read, followed, and favorited – you have my most sincerest of Thank-you's. **

**It wasn't in the last chapter, but I own nothing but the idea for this story. The Hunger Games and its characters belong to Suzanne Collins, an author who gave me an obsession with the characters in her story.**

Chapter 2 - The Arrival in the Capitol

Peeta sits, staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by. He feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up to see Gale. "Hey, what's going on?" Peeta asks.

"The girls are in their rooms, Rie is in the other room watching TV and I came to check on you. Are you okay?"

Peeta smiles at the boy who has been like a brother. "I was just thinking about how much my life has changed since the night you saved my life. About how I have a real family that cares about me. And about how the Capitol wants to take that away from me now."

Gale squeezes Peeta's shoulder, "We'll give the Capitol one hell of a show little brother. Come join me and Rie. The other district reaping's probably on."

Gale turns and Peeta gets up to follow. The room where the TV is located takes up about a third of the car. There's a large flat screen TV on one wall. Across from it is a plush black couch that pretty much takes up the whole opposite wall. Rie is sitting with his feet up on a glass top coffee table. Gale takes a seat next to Rie while Peeta sits next to Gale.

"Reaping's will be on in about 5 minutes. Effie went to get Haymitch and the girls." Rie says.

Soon Effie walks in with the girl's following behind her. "Young man, it's bad manners to put your feet on the table." She scolds, looking directly at Rie.

He immediately puts his feet down and apologizes to Effie. Delly sits next to Peeta while Madge sits next to Rie and Katniss sits by Madge. Effie, seeing there is no more room on the couch, sits down in an armchair that matches the couch. Haymitch comes in and sits in the armchair across from Effie. Suddenly the Reaping for District one is shown. Of the six, only 2 stand out. Glimmer Gleem and Marvel Wright are the only tributes to actually volunteer. Peeta makes a mental note to remember them later as per instructions by Boggs. The District 2 tributes are a little more impressive, all 6 volunteering. But as with District 1, only 2 stand out – Cato Canelos and Clove Felder. They stand away from the others in their district. District 3 is shown but none are noteworthy to Peeta. District 4 comes up. Peeta spots someone in the background he knows, Finnick O'dair. Finnick was Peeta's first crush. They got close and eventually became lovers. But due to his escort demands from the Capitol, Finnick and Peeta decided to just remain friends. Peeta was looking forward to seeing him again despite everything that had happened. Peeta shook himself mentally and got back to watching for notable tributes. District 5 had a female with fox like features but Peeta didn't catch her name. He didn't see anyone else of note until District 11. Two tributes, Thresh Temper and Rue Burd. There was something about the way they were standing. Then it was their own reapings. It was strange to watch after seeing it firsthand. Then Peeta heard Effie call Rory's name on the TV then himself volunteering. Then had heard his televised self whisper, "Well, shit!" as he made his way to Rory. He could feel 6 pairs of eyes on him. He turns to them and shrugs. "I didn't even realize I said anything." He looks back to the TV to see the 6 of them lined up on the stage. He can't shake the feeling that it looks familiar. As he points to the TV Gale says, "We look almost like those cocky careers from 2."

"Do you think anyone from the other districts will notice?" asks Delly.

"Gale noticed almost immediately so I dare say yes, someone is bound to notice," answers Rie who turns off the TV before turning to Effie, "Is it time to eat Effie? I'm a little hungry."

Effie, thrilled to be spoken to politely, answers, "Yes Rie, it is time to head to the dining car. Shall we go everyone?"

Dinner was a treat to the taste buds. Rich foods that filled their stomachs to the point of making them feel almost sick. Haymitch was quiet throughout the meal. When everyone was done, Haymitch sat back and cleared his throat. "Tomorrow you're going to meet your prep teams and stylists. With so many tributes, time will be of the essence. Listen to what they tell you and do _everything_ they say – NO arguing! After the parade, we'll discuss what you should and should not do in the next week in the training area. Also, the decision to make the private sessions with game makers and the interviews split into 2 days each was made before we got on the train. Exactly how the split will happen will be told to us later." The six teens nod their understanding to Haymitch. "Good, We'll be arriving early in the morning, so go get some rest. Good night."

Peeta was lying in his bed when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he says as he sits up.

Gale walks in, "Do you have a minute?"

Peeta smiles, "Can't sleep either?" he asks.

"Not really," Gale says shutting the door and going to sit on the foot of Peeta's bed. "I actually wanted to just talk."

Peeta smiles. They did this at home almost every night. "What's on your mind tonight?" Peeta asks.

"I had a _special visitor_ today. Told me that we'd have _special sponsors_ during the games. I was wondering, did you have a visitor like that?"

Peeta winked at Gale. "I had lots of visitors. Let me ask you a question. Did any of the tributes _stand out_ to you? Any you might think we can be _allies_ with?"

Gale smiles, "I might have noticed a couple. What should our plan be?"

Peeta thinks for a moment, "I think when training begins, we ought to keep an eye out for anyone who can help us and decide together, the six of us. It goes without saying that we should definitely stick together."

Gale nods and stands up, "Good night Peet. And thanks."

"Good night Gale. You're welcome." Gale leaves and Peeta finally goes to sleep.

The next morning, Peeta is awakened by Effie, "Rise and shine. It's going to be a big, big, big day." He moans, rolls over, and gets up. He goes to the walk-in closet and finds a blue button up shirt that matches his eyes and a pair of snug fitting black slacks before getting a shower. He steps out of his room 30 minutes later and runs into his fellow teammates. They all walk into the dining room together. Breakfast is just as quiet as dinner was the night before. They finish eating as they enter a tunnel. Katniss, who was sitting between Rie and Gale, grabs for their hands. Moments later they are back in the sunshine, the train slowing down. The six teens jump up and look out the window, waving at the crowd gathered by the station. They hear Haymitch behind them, snickering. "These kids sure know what they're doing." Effie laughs.

The group arrive at the prep center and are greeted by their stylists. The man is dressed in all black. His dark hair is cut short. The only thing that makes him look like he's from the Capitol is his gold eyeliner. The woman is dress in black as well. Her blonde hair falls around her head in soft curls. Her only make-up matches the man's.

"I'm Cinna and this is my sister and partner Portia. We're your stylists. After the prep teams finish with you, I will dress the girls and Portia the boys."

They all walk in the building, Cinna leading the girls to a door on the left and Portia and the boys to the right. Inside the room are 9 wildly dressed people with strange skin, hair, and eye colors. Cinna and Portia leave the rooms and let the prep teams to do their work. After being stripped naked, several baths, a **very** painful waxing to remove _ALL_ body hair, nails polished and painted, hair cut-colored-styled, and make-up applied, the stylists return. All six teens are dressed into skin tight, black latex body suits that leave nothing to the imagination. The look is topped off with knee high boots, black crowns, and black capes. The six teens and the stylists head down the hall and hop into an elevator going down to where the chariots are. When they step out of the elevator, they see Haymitch and Effie standing by a large chariot being pulled by 4 very large black horses.

Cinna explains what their costumes do. "Rie and Delly, you will be up in the front of the chariot. There is a button on your collar that when Portia or I tell you, you will push. Your costumes will light up, giving the image that you are hot coals. Peeta and Katniss, you will be behind Rie and Delly, up on a short step. Your costumes are going to be lit with synthetic fire – Don't worry, it won't burn you. Gale and Madge, you will be in the back. Your costumes also have a button that will need to be pushed. It's located on your wrists. When we tell you, turn on your costume. Your costumes will light up to become a dark gray and smoke will look like it's coming from your back and cape."

Cinna looks at the kids as Portia says, "We want each pair of you to hold hands while rolling down the street. As you get about halfway down the road, Rie and Delly you'll reach back and place your hands with Peeta and Katniss. Gale and Madge, your hands will go forward. When all hands are in the middle, raise them up." The 6 nod in understanding. "Relax guys, you have a 15 minutes before it's time to start." Haymitch says.

Peeta takes the time to check out the other tributes with Gale and Rie while the girls are talking to Effie and Portia. District 1 were wearing outfits covered in jewels. One pair in emeralds, one in diamonds, and the last in rubies. When the pair wearing the emeralds turned in their direction, Rie recognizes them as Glimmer and Marvel. They watch the pair walk up to a pair of gladiators, a short brunette and tall muscular blonde, standing away from the 4 others dressed similarly. Peeta deduces that the pair is Clove and Cato. Just ahead of them, dressed as farmers, Gale points out Thresh and Rue. Peeta sees Johanna by the District 7 chariot and tells his friends he'll be right back.

"Hey JoJo," he says when he gets near her. "How are you?" Johanna turns around and gives Peeta a smirk.

"Just fine Bread Boy. Bake any cheese rolls lately?"

Peeta laughs, "Not since before the reaping."

He then feels a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. "Peeta Bread! I've missed you! Nice outfit. _Very_ flattering from this side." is whispered in his ear. Peeta turns as Finnick lets go.

"Finny, flattery will get you nowhere and you know that" Peeta says before leaning forward and giving Finnick a kiss on his cheek.

He turns so he can face both his friends. "You guys going to come and see us after dinner tonight?" Peeta asks. The two look at each other and agree. Peeta waves goodbye and runs back to his chariot when he notices the District 1 tributes climbing into their chariot. He can hear the roar of the crowd as the parade begins.

District 11's chariot is about to roll out the doors when Cinna gives the word for the four to turn on their outfits. Portia jumps up and lights Peeta and Katniss with the fake flames. She quickly jumps down reminding them to join hands. The setting sun awaits them as they pull through the doors. The sounds of cheering stops and then becomes thunderous as they begin rolling down the street. With joined hands raised, waving to the crowd, they can see on one of the jumbo screens what a wondrous sight they are. When they reach the point where they think is about halfway, the 3 pairs of joined hands come together. The crowd gets even louder. When they pull to a stop where the other tributes are in a half circle around the stage, they drop their joined hands and continue waving until they see President Snow approach the microphone to give his welcome speech. During the speech, the group notice the hostile looks they are getting from the other tributes except 6. Glimmer, Marvel, Cato, Clove, Thresh, and Rue are looking at them with a look of curiosity. Peeta smiles as he turns his attention back to the president. 'Trying to form an alliance with them may be easier than hoped.' he thinks. Soon they are back inside. Gale gets down and helps everyone else out of the chariot. Cinna and Portia spray a can of something that puts the flames out on Peeta and Katniss. Effie and Haymitch join the group.

"You guys were _fabulous_! There will be sponsors lined up around the block." Effie squeals.

"Yes, yes. They were-" Haymitch begins. Peeta notices Haymitch is looking behind him and turns to look. He sees Cato and Clove studying their group intently. 'Maybe I was wrong about them,' thinks Peeta, 'I'll ask the group later.' "Let's continue our discussion upstairs over dinner." Haymitch says heading towards the elevator.

The 6 teens step out on their floor and their jaws drop. There's a large dining room to the left. The large table can seat up to 16 people. To the right is the living room. A large white L-shaped couch faces a large flat screen TV above a beautiful white brick fireplace. There are black throw pillows on the couch that sits on a black carpet. On the glass top coffee table is a vase filled with a colorful bouquet of orange roses, stargazer lilies, pink carnations and purple irises. Down the hallway was 8 doors. One for each tribute and one for Haymitch and one for Effie. After being shown their rooms, the kids take shower and put on more comfortable clothes. Cinna and Portia join the group for dinner which is filled with talk of the parade and lots of laughter. They eat Lamb stew with rolls. As soon as the last plate is removed, Johanna and Finnick come in. Haymitch pulls out two bottles of white liquor. He pours everyone a glass and they toast the games. They're sitting in the living room watching a recap of the parade when Finnick, sitting next to Peeta, leans over and whispers in his ear, "When this is over, we need to go to the roof and talk." Peeta looks at him and says, "Okay".

An hour later, Finnick and Johanna show the 6 tributes the roof. They lead them to the garden area. It's one of the safest places to talk.

"Finn, what are we doing here?" Delly asks.

"Boggs sent me a message that he gave two of you some orders. I'm to expand on them. Which of you got the orders?"

Gale and Peeta step forward. The others gasp.

"I was told that we already have sponsors from District 13." Gale says.

"I was told to watch the other tributes and find the ones that may have training like we did. Then get them to be allies." adds Peeta.

Finnick and Johanna share a look. "There are 6, possibly 7, tributes here that have training like you. We aren't sure which ones they are." Says Johanna.

"But if you can get them to join you, and you can get away from the bloodbath at the cornucopia, you will receive a message from District 13 on what to do next." Finnick adds.

Madge, Delly, and Katniss share a confused look. "Hold on, we have to team up with others and wait for a message?" asks Katniss.

"We're going into the games where 72 of us are going in but only one comes out. Why does District 13 care if we have allies?" asks Madge.

"Are we _supposed_ to go to the cornucopia?" asks Delly.

Johanna scoffs. "What's with the third degree there princesses 1, 2, and 3? Boggs was promoted to Commander and your commander gave you an order. It was part of your basic training to follow orders!" Her voice rising in anger. Finnick puts a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down. She shrugs him off. "This is never going to work if they question everything. I'm going back to my room. I'll see you tomorrow."

Johanna leaves and Finnick turns to look at the girls. "I realize you might be scared, but things are in motion now that will be explained to you as they are relayed here. Everything is connected to what you trained for. Now, you should all probably head back and get some rest." Finnick then strikes a sexy pose. "Especially if you want to look as good as me."

They all laughed. As they head to the door, Finnick grabs Peeta's arm to stop him. "Can we talk for a minute?" Finnick asks when everyone was out of earshot.

Peeta, curious, says "Sure."

Finnick waits until they're alone before he begins. "Peeta, we've known each other for a while now and in that time we became more than friends. At least I think we're more than _just friends._" Peeta watches Finnick run his hands through his bronze hair as he turns saying, "Shit, this isn't coming out right!"

Peeta puts a hand on Finnick's shoulder. "What has you so flustered Finn?"

Finnick turns around, eyes down. "You do." He whispers.

"Me? How do I fluster you?" Peeta asks, curiosity in his voice.

Finnick looks into Peeta's eyes, "You have this way about you that makes me want to be with you. I miss what we had. I want us to be together again."

Peeta is stunned. He had let Finnick go before and it nearly broke him. "Finn, I can't! We can't!"

"Why not?" Finnick asks, tears forming in his eyes. "Tell me why we can't? I, I love you!"

Peeta is incredulous. "Why not? Are you serious? I'm going into the games! I may not come back! Then there's what you do for the president! Oh, and let's not forget about Annie. You _love_ her Finn! We can't do this to her. She is already so fragile. If we did get back together and she found out, it would kill her. I won't do that. I can't do that." Peeta pauses, trying to control his anguish. "You will always, _always_ have a place in my heart Finn but I'm sorry. We can never be together."

Both have tears in their eyes. Finnick's shoulders sag in sadness. Peeta puts a hand to Finnick's face, feeling like he needs to explain better. "It nearly broke me when we couldn't be together before. I can't do it again. Please understand." He whispers before turning and walking away. He could hear Finnick crying behind him and it took everything inside him to not turn around and run into Finnick's arms. He forces himself to keep walking away.

Peeta doesn't go to his room immediately when he gets back. He sees a light through the gap of the door and knocks on Gale's door. Gale opens the door and sees Peeta's face. He grabs Peeta's hand and pulls him into the room. He shuts the door and leads him to the bed. "Oh Peet, what happened?"

Peeta looks over to Gale, "Finnick asked to have a private word with me. So we waited until you all left. Then he asks me to get back together with him." Peeta gives Gale a moment to let that sink in before he continues. "I told him no. Gale, please tell me I did the right thing! Please tell me that I'm not a bad person for leaving him on the roof crying." he pleads.

Gale wraps his arms around Peeta. He was the one that helped Peeta through his heartbreak the last time. And it was bad. "Oh Peeta, you definitely did the right thing! You're going to be fighting for your life soon. I know how much you must be hurting but we all have to let go of any personal feelings if we are going to fight to survive." Peeta just nodded. They sat that way, with Gale's comforting arms wrapped around Peeta, for a while.

Peeta pulls himself together and out of Gale's embrace. "Thank you Gale. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." They both stand.

"Good night Peet." Gale says as Peeta walks out the door. Peeta walks down to his room. Once he locks himself in his room, Peeta strips down and climbs into his bed where he allows the tears he held back to finally fall. He cries himself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3 Training

_**The Games We Played**_

**A/N: Hello readers and welcome to a very long chapter 3. This chapter is the days they are in training and other events that happen in those days. Thank you to everyone reading!**

**Some shout-outs to my reviewers-**

**FreshAdobo – Yeah, poor Peeta indeed. He's had some rough times. But he also has some good friends and a family that took him in. I'm glad you think the story is good so far. I really like this chapter myself as I am bringing more people together.**

**MangoMagic- I'd been wanting to do this story for a while now, but initially as a Katniss/Cato story. Then one day I found a Peeta/Cato story and instantly fell in love with them as a couple. So I revamped my outline and decided to add more players into the mix. I never liked Gale in the original story but wanted Peeta to have someone he could trust to have his back when things got tough. The real complication is the arena! I'm not saying anything now, but it's different than anything I've read about so far. As for the Peeta/Finnick moment, it was sad for me to write. I like them as a couple as well. This chapter has some moments of Peeta/Cato but something is going to happen between the two soon.**

**lincolnlog89 – I am so thrilled you found my story **** Peeta definitely has a good heart. It's one of the reasons I think that Gale's mother agreed to take Peeta in. District 12's 'beloved' 6 teens are going to have a very interesting time in the arena. With Finnick, Peeta, and Cato - I can't say what's going to happen - yet. ;) After all, Finnick **_**is**_** Peeta's first love. As for Peeta's mother, we will be learning more about her later.**

Chapter 3 – Training

Peeta woke the next morning to Effie's overly excited "big, big, big day" speech again. He goes in the bathroom to take a shower hoping the hot water would help relieve his tense muscles. He stands under the water for 20 minutes before remembering that Haymitch wanted to discuss their training strategy during breakfast. He turns off the water and steps out onto the drying mat. He wraps a towel around his waist and goes to the bedroom to get dressed. Opening the door, he notices that the bed is made and his clothes are lying on it, shoes on the ground below. He dresses quickly, noticing how the black and red outfit fits snugly on his body like a second skin showing off his muscles, before returning to the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair.

In the dining room, the tributes are quickly eating their breakfast while waiting for Haymitch to come give them their instructions for training. They finish eating when he shows up. He sits down and looks at them thoughtfully. "After being up half the night going over every possible scenario I have decided that you all should work in pairs. Today I want the pairs to be Rie and Delly, Gale and Katniss, and finally Peeta and Madge. Spend time at all the survival stations. There's bound to be new information you can learn. Go ahead and do the agility training, the obstacle course training, and the hand-to-hand training but _do_ _not_ show everything you got." He pauses to take a sip of his orange juice. "Katniss, Gale, and Peeta – stay away from the archery station. Rie, Delly, and Madge stay away from the knives. Those are your best weapons and you should save it for your individual time with the game makers. Oh, and Peeta, you stay away from the weight station as well. No need to give away how much you can actually lift. When you get back tonight, we'll talk again. Now go." Effie stands up and waits for the kids to follow her. They get on the elevator and are soon heading into the training room.

The training room is massive. There is a woman standing on a platform surrounded by tributes. Lined up along the far wall are the trainers and some peacekeepers. The group from 12 head towards the platform to await instructions. There is one more group yet to arrive, District 9. When they arrive, the woman on the platform introduces herself as Atala and begins to give the rules and instructions the tributes need to follow while in the training room. When she dismisses everyone, the district 12 waited for the mad rush to quiet down. Peeta quickly notes everyone is dressed in an outfit just like his, the only difference is the large district number printed on the back. Rie and Delly decide to go to the plant station, Katniss and Gale go to the traps and snares station, while Peeta and Madge go to camouflage. From where they are, Peeta and Madge have the best view of the weapon stations while Rie and Delly can see the agility and obstacle courses. Gale and Katniss watch the weight training and hand-to-hand combat stations and observe the game makers in their room. By the time the bell rings for lunch, the three pairs had traded stations twice. They wait for the elevator to take them to the lunch room.

After getting their trays, the 6 friends find an empty table in the farthest corner so they can talk in privacy. While eating, they discuss what they observed at each station. Peeta and Madge are chosen go first. They begin with their first station. They had watched the groups from Districts 1, 2, & 4, dubbed 'the careers', at the weapon stations. They report that District 1 spent the time at the distance weapons – archery, javelin, and spears. Peeta noted Marvel was really good with the spears while Madge noted Glimmer seemed to have trouble with the bow. The District 2 group was at the sword and knife stations. They observed that Cato was the best with swords and Clove with knives. District 4 stayed by the tridents only. At their second station, the plant station, they watched Districts 5, 8, 10, and 11 do the agility and obstacle stations. They note that despite his size, Thresh was very good at both as was little Rue. District 5 was just okay in their opinion. At the final station, traps and snares, they watched Districts 3 and 7 doing hand-to-hand and Districts 6 and 9 lifting weights. Neither thought any of those groups would be a challenge if they came across them in the arena. When the other 4 noted that they noticed that they had made the same observations of those Districts at those stations, they concluded that their group was the only one that had changed stations that morning. Rie stated that when he was at the camouflage station he saw Cato and Clove talking in private, away from the weapons. Marvel and Glimmer had joined them a few moments later. He noticed that Clove had gestured towards the survival stations. Soon after they went back to their weapons. Katniss said she had noticed Thresh and Rue looking towards the survival stations while she was in the plant station. A decision was made to talk to Haymitch about their observations after dinner.

When the District 12 group gets back to the training center, they noticed that the survival stations are all filled with other districts. Not that they cared. They had already decided to try the obstacle course and agility station. They head to the agility station first. They are the only ones there. They run through a couple cone courses, step hurdle courses, and running sprints. The obstacle course they ran next included scrambling over rock walls, climbing rope ladders, army crawling, and crossing a balance beam. They spent about 2 hours between both stations. They asked the trainer if they could get increasingly harder courses over the week. When the trainer agrees, they move on to hand-to-hand training. They spend the first half hour 'learning' techniques and spend their remaining time 'practicing' those same techniques. The bell rings for the tributes to head back to their floors.

Haymitch and Effie are waiting in the living room when the teens come back. Haymitch tells them to get cleaned up for dinner. It was 30 minutes later when they were all sitting down for dinner. Gale and Rie filled Effie and Haymitch in on what was accomplished in training that day. Haymitch knows that there is more but decides to let the kids decide when they want to tell him. He doesn't wait long. As soon as Effie excuses herself from the table to go to her room, Peeta says they need to talk and the living room would be the most comfortable. Once everyone is settled, Haymitch turns to Peeta waiting to hear what he had to say. Peeta tells Haymitch about the lunch time conversation, paying particular attention to the six tributes that they suspect to be fellow rebels from other districts. Haymitch tells them that he will give the situation some thought and give them the plan the next morning. Haymitch gets up to go to meet with some potential sponsors, telling the group not to stay up late.

The next morning at breakfast, Haymitch shares his idea for feeling out Cato, Clove, Marvel, Glimmer, Thresh, and Rue. "Before I tell you my idea, I want to change up the pairs from yesterday. Rie, you're to be with Delly. Gale, you're with Madge. Peeta, Katniss…yeah. Uh, until lunch stay together." Haymitch sits forward in his chair, signaling for the group to listen up. "After lunch, Rie, Delly, you are to go to the archery station and try to talk to Glimmer. Show her you know how to use a bow – but watch yourselves. Downplay your handiness by missing some shots. Gale, Madge, you are to go to the knife station and throw knives. See if you can get Clove to come to you by not being obvious that you're good. Katniss, see if there is any way you can talk to Rue, maybe at the plant station, if she's there. Peeta, go to the weight station." Haymitch holds up his hand when he sees Peeta try to speak. "I know I said not to yesterday but see if you can get Thresh, Marvel, or Cato to come to you. I think if you throw some weights around, one of them might come talk to you. If they don't, we can try something else tomorrow." Haymitch sits back, "Now go. I'm tired and want to get some more sleep."

Down in the training center, the new pairs work together in the survival stations until lunch. They sit at the same table as yesterday. While they eat, they can feel that they're being watched but ignore the stares for now. Rie notes that other than the career table and their own table, none of the other tables seem to talk to each other. Madge points out that Rue and Thresh seem to communicate without words and that Cato, Clove, Marvel, and Glimmer, while sitting with the other careers, don't talk to them much. It's decided to put Haymitch's plan into action when they go back.

Entering the training room, the group separates. Rie and Madge head to the archery station. They listen to the trainers instructions before grabbing a bow. Glimmer is next to them. They manage to pull off looking like beginners while noting Glimmer is still not improving. Madge looks to Rie. He nods his head once and goes back to shooting mediocrely. As Madge walks up to Glimmer, she can hear what sounds like something hitting the wall hard over by the weight station and thinks 'Peeta'. "Hi, my name is Madge, from District 12."

Glimmer looks at her and smiles. "I'm Glimmer, District 1. Is there something I can help you with?" she asks.

Madge returns the smile. "Actually, I think there's something I can help you with, if you'll permit me."

Glimmer looks at her, "What could you help me with?"

Madge motions to Glimmer to let her take a shot. Glimmer moves and Madge takes her place. She shoots 2 arrows, hitting the Bullseye. She turns to Glimmer and whispers, "It's not beginners luck." Glimmer's shocked face gives Madge the encouragement she was looking for. She continues, "If I help you, would you be willing to meet me and my friends on the roof tonight after dinner to talk?" Madge knows it wasn't part of the plan but she had a feeling and went with it. She'd tell everyone else in the elevator later.

Glimmer looks towards Marvel before responding, "Okay. I'll meet you ONLY if you can get me to shoot better."

Madge smiles widely, "Let's begin, shall we?"

Rie watches as Madge corrects Glimmers stance and positioning. Glimmer begins to shoot like she's been doing it for years. He hears Madge say "See you tonight" as she walks back to him. He gives her a questioning look. "I'll explain later. Trust me." He shrugs and the two continue to shoot.

Meanwhile, Gale and Delly went over to the knife throwing section and after getting a brief lesson, start throwing. They follow the plan to throw worse than they actually are. They can hear loud thuds and know that Peeta is the cause. It takes a while throwing badly, but eventually Clove notices and finally decides to walk over. "Hi, I'm Clove. District 2. I couldn't help but notice you were having some trouble throwing. I'd be willing to offer pointers."

Delly and Gale smile. Delly speaks, "I'm Delly and this is Gale. District 12. We were watching how well you throw earlier. You made it look so easy we decided to try. I'd be willing to listen to any help."

Gale adds, "I, too, would love some help. Thank you."

Clove asks them to show her a couple practice shots from each. She tells Delly, "You're holding the blade wrong and your release timing is off." She turns to Gale, "Your grip is too loose and your posture needs to be adjusted." She shows them how to correct their problems and they take a couple more throws. Clove smiles at them. "See, you've done it. Just remember what I showed you and you'll be fine." Clove waves to them before going back to her own station.

Delly turn to Gale. "Do you think we might get her to see us on the roof to talk?"

Gale shrugs. "We should talk to Haymitch and ask him before we do that."

Katniss, on the other hand, had no problem going straight up to Rue to talk. She was having a problem with a couple plants she'd never seen and had overheard Rue talking to the trainer about it. That led to a conversation about plants that grow locally in each of their Districts. In the background, Katniss can hear loud thudding noises and knows that it's Peeta. Katniss and Rue decided to move on to the insect station together. While there, Rue began asking questions about Katniss's family. "Was that your sister you volunteered for?"

Katniss smiled a sad smile, "Yeah. Her name is Prim and she's 13. I just couldn't let her fight with 71 other tributes. Do you have any siblings?"

Rue's smile was huge. "I have 3 sisters, all younger. What do your parents do?"

Katniss frowns. Rue sees and says quickly, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay. It's a little hard to talk about as my dad died years ago and my mom changed. She's just started working as a healer again."

Rue sees the sadness in Katniss's eyes and changes the subject. "How well do you know your district teammates?"

Katniss grins, "They're my friends, which is nice for now. I enjoy having someone to train with so I'm not alone. But what will happen in the arena is anyone's guess." She looks at Rue, watching carefully for anything that will help in figuring out if she can be trusted. "How well do you know yours?"

Rue looks towards Thresh, "Thresh is a relative. A distant cousin. The others, I've worked with in the fields but don't know them much at all." Katniss sees that Rue is leaving something out but doesn't comment. Rue continues, "Thresh and I are going to try to meet up in the arena." The trainer walks over and the two new friends go back to training.

Peeta goes over to the weight station. He doesn't think this will work but does what Haymitch says because it's what he was trained to do. The trainer does his spiel about the station and has Peeta start by lifting weights, starting with 50 lbs., increasing by 5 lbs. until he reaches 100 lbs. The trainer decides to try something different and have Peeta throw weights towards the back wall that was about 100 yards away. Peeta agrees. Peeta starts by throwing the 50 lbs. ball first. He throws it over his shoulder and the weight hits the wall halfway up, leaving a large dent. The sound echoes through the room. But Peeta doesn't really give it much thought as he keeps throwing heavier and heavier weights. He adjusts his angle so the weights aren't hitting the same spot. When Peeta throws 150 lbs. and it hits about a foot away from the wall, he realizes that he has an audience. The trainer asks if he's comfortable throwing heavier weights. Peeta says he's fine and continues with the weights increasing by 10 lbs. When Peeta throws the 200 lbs. weight, it hits about 15 - 20 feet away from the wall. He notices that he's starting to feel fatigued. The trainer sees Peeta's weariness and lets him stop. He asks if Peeta thought that he could throw heavier weights and Peeta only nods. He saw Marvel heading towards the weight station from the corner of his eye. He turns slightly so he is facing him when Marvel gets close. "That was _very_ impressive!" Marvel says, reaching Peeta. "I'm Marvel. District 1."

"Peeta. District 12. It's nothing really. I haul large rocks away from the mines." It was a bald face lie, but he couldn't really tell the truth about his training for the rebels.

"Like I said, impressive. I can lift about 100 – 125 lbs. I don't think I could throw half as far as you though."

Peeta chuckles. "I didn't think I could throw that far either."

Marvel looks back towards the weapons station. "Well, I better get back. See ya around Peeta." Peeta pretends not to be watching but sees Marvel and Cato share a look. He feels like he has something to share with everyone now.

After the bell rings to end training for the day, Madge tells them in the elevator about meeting with Glimmer on the roof that night. She says that she'll talk to Haymitch alone as she invited Glimmer without thinking it through or discussing it with him. She finds Haymitch in his room. She expected a lecture but all she got was "Nice work, Undersee" before being sent to get ready for dinner. Dinner wasn't a drawn out affair. In fact, it was over rather quickly. Haymitch and Effie were expected for a meeting about the game maker sessions and the interview set up. As soon as Haymitch and Effie left, the teens went up on the roof to wait for Glimmer. They watched the sunset and talked about things they missed about District 12. It wasn't much really, as it was a rather depressing place. They were laughing at something Delly said when they heard the elevator ding. They looked over and saw Glimmer getting out of the elevator. But she wasn't alone. Marvel had come with her. The group was shocked but secretly happy. After the introductions, Glimmer got right to the point. "So, why would you want to meet with me?"

The District 12 teens looked to Peeta to do the explanations. "Let's go check out the gardens, shall we?" They group walks and Peeta begins talking. "I need you to promise me that no matter what we tell you, you won't say anything to _anyone_, including anyone you may be in an alliance with. It's very important to us." Marvel and Glimmer agree. They look very interested in what Peeta is about to tell them. "Okay, we know you obviously noticed that we are better at things than we appear. Gale, Katniss, and I have been training for 6 years. Rie, Delly, and Madge have been training for the last 3 years. We have an electric fence that is supposed to keep us out of the forest outside our hometown. The fence is rarely ever on. We sneak into the forest to hunt and gather for our families even though it's illegal." He stops here. He knows that while he wasn't very specific, they should be able to figure out the truth about the trainings if they are part of the rebellion. Now it all depends upon what they say.

Glimmer speaks first, "I am training with a bow even though I am much better with a scimitar. I was told to train on the bow so no one would know. And I am very proficient at killing with my bare hands despite my _delicate_ looks." Peeta nods.

"So, I am best at spears but am able to throw a knife with fairly decent accuracy. I, too, can kill someone with my bare hands. But I noticed you said 'training' and not 'self-taught'. Can I ask who taught you?" asks Marvel.

Peeta looks to his team. They each give him a nod. This is where the shit could really hit the fan. Haymitch never said that they couldn't tell but that doesn't mean they should. Peeta looks at Marvel and Glimmer and says, "Our trainer's names are Boggs, Jackson, and Mitchell." The look on Marvel and Glimmer's faces confirmed what the 6 suspected, they ARE part of the rebellion.

Glimmer whispers, "You know Jackson? She's one of our trainers too." Peeta looks at Marvel who nods.

It's Gale that asks, "Were you training for the rebellion?"

Marvel's eyes snap to Gale. "What do you know about the rebellion?"

"I asked first." Gale responds crossing his arms over his chest.

Glimmer rolls her eyes. "We had been training for the rebellion for just over a year. Now answer Marvel's question!"

Katniss steps forward. "We know that there are people out there that are very unhappy with President Snow and the Hunger Games. We were told that other tributes were like us, rebels that were reaped. We had thought you two as well as Cato, Clove, Rue, and Thresh maybe rebels. We were told to make an alliance with the other reaped rebels and we'd receive new orders."

Marvel grins a goofy grin. "Bloody Brutal Cato? A rebel? Oh Miss Everdeen, that is too funny!"

"Laugh if you want, but we have been trained longer than you and know what we're looking for. It's why Madge here wanted to talk to Glimmer tonight. It's why we hope to talk to Thresh and Rue tomorrow night. We would love to meet up with the other rebel tributes in the arena and get our new orders." states Rie. "We are leaving the decision up to you, and the others, if you want to be with us or not in the arena."

Glimmer and Marvel look at each other. "We need to talk to someone but we'll let you know soon," says Marvel. "Good night guys. See ya in the morning." The 2 from District 1 left, leaving the 6 from District 12 alone to think about what just happened.

"I have a good feeling about them." Delly says as they head back to their floor.

The next morning, Peeta wakes up an hour before Effie would be by to wake him up. He showered and dressed in his training outfit. He heads to the dining room and sees Haymitch with Johanna and Finnick. Peeta hadn't seen Finnick since the night he left him crying on the roof. He swallows hard before joining them at the table.

"Morning." he says.

Johanna looks at him, "You're up early Peeta Bread. You afraid someone will pee in your Fruity O's?"

Peeta just rolls his eyes and sits down by Haymitch. "I need to talk to you about last night's pow wow." Haymitch grunts in acknowledgement.

Finnick stands up, avoiding looking at Peeta, "We better get back now JoJo. We have tributes to help."

Johanna stands and leads Finnick to the elevator. Peeta watches Finnick. He notices the man's sagging shoulders.

He jumps up and runs after them. "Finnick, wait!"

Finnick stops but doesn't turn around. Johanna gets in the elevator and holds the door open. Peeta sees Finnick shake his head and Johanna letting the door close.

Peeta stands behind Finnick. "Please turn around Finn." Finnick turns but Peeta almost wishes he let him leave. Finnick's eyes were bloodshot; his hair was limp and greasy looking. Peeta reaches to put a hand on Finnick's arm but he flinches back. "I'm really sorry Finn. I should've handled things better. I was freaking out about what had happened to me, my friends, and my family. Then I find out you still wanted me when I was dealing with the fact I am going to be fighting for my life. I just want my friend back."

Finnick looks at Peeta. He sees anger, hurt, sadness, and love? flash through his eyes. "I don't know Peeta. I opened myself up to you and you stomped on my heart like it was nothing. I didn't know that you were hurt so bad when _we_ agreed to end things. You never said anything to me. I never knew! Now I just don't think I'm ready to even be friends." Both had tears in their eyes.

Peeta whispers, "Okay Finn. Take care of yourself." Peeta watches long enough to see Finnick push the button to call the elevator and get in. He turns and goes back to the dining room. He waits for Haymitch to say something snide. Instead he just asks Peeta what happened the night before. Peeta tells him everything while finishing his breakfast. When he finishes his story, the rest of the group is coming into the room. The room is silent while Gale, Rie, Madge, Delly, and Katniss eat. Haymitch is thinking about what Peeta just told him and Peeta is thinking about his earlier conversation with Finnick. When everyone is done eating, Haymitch gives the instructions for the day. "Alright, today is the last day I want you to work in pairs. So Gale and Delly, Rie and Katniss, and Peeta and Madge are the pairs for the day. I understand that Cato and Thresh have yet to be spoken with. I leave it up to you boys to figure it out. As for what was said last night, Glimmer and Marvel admitted to being rebels, so I agree with what you said about leaving it up to them to join you. And it sounds like you are going to try for another meeting tonight. Just trust your instincts and report to me as soon as you can. Now, go to training."

The group from District 12 spent their morning in the obstacle and agility stations. By lunch, they're tired but happy. Katniss had run into Rue and Thresh and got Thresh to agree to meet up on the roof. All that was left now would be Cato and Clove. Rie was beginning to wonder if they were wrong about the District 2 pair. Peeta looked over towards the two tributes in question and caught Cato looking at him. The two pairs of blue eyes stay locked onto one another until Peeta gets hit by a flying roll.

"Earth to Peeta, what's got you so spacy?" asks Gale.

Peeta looks around. It's just him and Gale at the table. He tells Gale, "Sorry. I saw Finn and JoJo this morning and, well, it was rough." They get up and walk to the door to the training room. "Now Finnick doesn't want to talk to me anymore. He looked awful Gale. I should've handled the whole situation better."

Gale puts his hand on Peeta's shoulder. "Give him time Peet. We're have another 8 days before we go into the arena. He might come around. Until then, stay strong." As they walked into the training room, they didn't see Cato watching them from the lunch room doorway.

Peeta notices that his brother Rie is over at the weight station and asks Gale if he wants to go there. He looks down at Peeta and says, "Why not?" Peeta and Gale go over to the bench presses. "Spot for me, spot for you?" asks Gale. Peeta smiles and nods. He looks over at Rie doing leg presses and sees he's at 100 lbs. Gale gets his weights on, 90 lbs., and tells Peeta he's ready. When Peeta takes his turn, he lifts 120 lbs. By the time the 2 are ready to move to the leg presses, Gale is lifting 150 lbs. and Peeta was lifting 225 lbs. The three boys meet up at the squat rack to complete this day of training. Peeta had watched the girls throwing knives and spears. They were still not showing their full capabilities. When the bell finally rang, all Peeta could think about was a nice, hot shower.

Peeta got his shower. The hot water felt so good, he stayed in a little longer. He finally made himself get out as he didn't really want Effie to come and tell him it was bad manners to be late for dinner. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he heads into the bedroom and goes to the dresser for a pair of blue boxer briefs. He opens another drawer and grabs a t-shirt that matches the blue of his eyes. He is about to grab some jeans when there's a knock at the door. "Come in" he yells, pulling on the underwear. He hears the door open. "Sorry it's taking so long, I was enjoying my shower." he says pulling the shirt over his head.

The voice he hears is unfamiliar and he spins around to see Cato standing in the doorway. "And how exactly _were_ you enjoying your shower, 12?"

Peeta quickly pulls his pants on. "Can I help you 2?"

Cato quickly checks the hallway before closing the door. "I think you know why I'm here. You and your friends aren't exactly what I expected. I think you're _more_. Clove and I are going to be on the roof later tonight. I want _you_ to meet us there. No one else." Cato then turns and leaves.

Peeta, stunned by what just happened. Did Cato just order him to the roof tonight? He throws on a pair of slippers so he could make it to dinner on time. Effie doesn't comment on Peeta's tardiness. Neither does anyone else. He tunes out everything during dinner thinking about Cato. The guy was taller than expected. His eyes a brighter, lighter ice blue. And very good looking. Oh crap, he shouldn't think like that. He tries to forget about Cato by listening to Katniss.

"So then Rue ran over and took Cato's knife and ran up the rope ladder. She hid it in the rafters. It was still there when we left this evening."

Everyone laughs, including Peeta. Haymitch then turns serious.

"Tomorrow morning, all mentors are required to attend a breakfast at President Snow's mansion. That means I won't be here when you go to training tomorrow." He pauses to let that sink in before he continues. "For the next three days, you are free to train however you want. We've already blown the original plan anyway. The two days after that are the private sessions with the game makers. Day one will be even numbered districts, day two will be the odd. You'll go on the first day. Then there's one day to prep for the interviews. Interviews are scheduled for 2 days. Day one will be odd numbered districts while day two is even numbered districts. While you are going to be interviewed on the second night, you are required to attend the first night's interviews."

With that said, dinner is over. As the group prepares to go meet with Rue and Thresh, Peeta tells them he'll join them soon, just wants to talk to Haymitch. Gale gives Peeta a look that says 'we're going to talk later' and Peeta nods.

Once everyone has gone, Haymitch turns to Peeta. "Is this about this morning? Because I am not getting involved in that mess again."

"No. Actually I have another problem. I was visited, in my room, by the district 2 boy Cato. He wants just me to meet him and Clove later tonight alone. He hinted that he knows something about us. I just wanted to get your opinion on how I should handle this."

Haymitch looks at Peeta thoughtfully. "Well, in my opinion, I think that you should go and hear them out. From what I'm hearing, it sounds like they've been watching you guys too. Look, out of the six of you, you have the best potential to win. You're not only strong and can use lethal weapons, but you have the ability to get people to listen to you, diffuse situations. The others look to you for leadership. Go up and listen. Trust your instincts. You will do the right thing. Now, you better make an appearance for this meeting." Haymitch stands up. "Good luck." He turns and heads to his room.

Peeta gets up and heads to the roof. He sees Rue and Thresh are with his friends.

"Peeta, you made it. Let me introduce you to Rue and Thresh. Rue, Thresh, this is Peeta, our fellow tribute." Katniss says when she sees Peeta. The two from district 11 nod at him.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting." Peeta says.

"Not at all. We just got here and were introduced to everyone else." Thresh replies. His voice is quiet for a guy so large. "I was hoping to meet the guy who could put a dent in the wall throwing weights around. I never met anyone that could do that before."

Peeta can feel his face turning pink and was thankful it was kind of dark out. "Thank you. It was a surprise to me too."

"Alright, let's stop embarrassing Peeta and find out why we're here." Rue injects. "Katniss seemed pretty adamant about it."

Peeta is the one to speak. "We asked you here to be allies. But we aren't regular tributes. And we think that you aren't either."

"What do you mean?" asks Thresh nervously.

"What he means is we've had some 'training' and we think you have to." answers Gale. "We'll tell you more but we need to know that what we tell you won't be repeated. _To anyone_, including any allies you may have already made_._"

"My only ally is Rue. You have me interested though. I won't say anything." says Thresh.

"You heard Thresh. I won't tell either." Rue replies.

"For years, Katniss, Gale, and my brother Peeta used to hunt illegally in the forest outside our district limits. One day they met some people who offered to train them for a rebellion that was being planned. Madge, Delly, and I joined a couple years later." Rie explains. "We were told that there were other tributes that had training like us. We were told to find them and join in an alliance with them. We think you two are some of the tributes."

Rue and Thresh look at each other, shock in their eyes. Rue speaks.

"We have had training. We were also told that we should keep an eye out for others like us. But we do have some questions."

Katniss smiles at Rue. "Please ask."

"Who were your trainers?"

"Boggs, Mitchell, and Jackson." answers Delly.

"I've met Boggs, big guy, about 40, going gray." Rue says.

Thresh asks the next question. "Who else do you think might have training like us?"

Peeta takes a deep breath before answering. "We think Glimmer and Marvel from District 1 and possibly Cato and Clove from District 2."

Thresh looks incredulous. "Cato and Clove? Why them?"

"They don't talk with the other careers. They train alone. And I have a really strong feeling about them. My feelings are never wrong. I was right about you two. And I was right about Glimmer and Marvel. You should know that we talked to them last night. They had met another of our trainers, Jackson." Madge explains.

"Did you ask them to join you in an alliance?" Rue asks.

Peeta answers. "We did. They wanted time to think about it. We extend the same courtesy to you. Just let us know what you decide. We're expecting orders in the arena if we can get everyone to join us. We just want it to be your decision."

"I'd like the time to think this over." Thresh says. "Rue is free to make her own decisions." He looks at her. "If you want to be in their alliance, don't let me stop you. They can protect you better than just me. I just need to think about being in a group with Districts 1 and 2. I think I will try watching them myself. See if I can see what you saw."

"I think that I will wait for you Thresh. I agree that these guys could help me but my loyalty to our alliance comes first." Rue says sounding wiser than her 13 years.

"Fair enough. As Peeta said, we want it to be your decision and we are willing to let you decide." Gale says reaching out to shake Thresh's hand. "We appreciate you coming to see us."

Thresh and Rue say good night and leave. The friends head back to their apartment. They go to the living room and talk.

"Two pairs down, one to go. Any ideas on how we can convince the other two to talk to us?" Rie asks.

Peeta knows that he's going to see them but can't say anything about it right now. "I have no clue on how to approach them. They seem like they'd rip your head off if you talked to them wrong. I say we wait until a more opportune time. Watch and see if there is a way to talk to one of them alone, away from prying eyes." The others nod in agreement.

Katniss yawns and decides to go to bed. The others follow. Peeta sits on his bed and waits for Gale. It's not a long wait. Peeta lets him in and they sit on Peeta's bed.

"How are you doing since this morning? Was Haymitch able to help?" Gale asks.

Peeta was expecting this and answers. "I'm doing better. I never meant to hurt Finn like that. Haymitch listened but said he didn't want to get in the middle again. I never went to him with my problems but he seemed to know. I assume that maybe Finn talked to him. Maybe it wasn't as easy of a break up for him as I thought."

Gale chuckles. "Peet, break ups are never easy on either party. Remember Darla? She cried for a week every time I saw her. And you were there when I couldn't handle what happened between us. I think this is more stressful due to the fact that we're about to go into the arena and might die. I think that if Finnick and you are meant to be, he'll be waiting when you win the games. Of course, I might win so then it won't really matter."

They both laugh. Gale gets up and heads to the door. He turns around and says, "Don't let this eat you up inside. Give him time. He just needs space to think. Good night buddy."

"Good night Gale."

Peeta stays in his room for another 30 minutes. He hopes that his friends are asleep so he can sneak out to his private meeting with Cato and Clove. He puts on a light jacket before heading out. When he gets to the roof, he sees he's alone. He walks over to a bench by the garden to wait. As soon as he sits, he can hear footsteps behind him.

"Hey 12, wasn't sure you'd be here. Guess I owe you $5 Cato."

Peeta turns around at the sound of Clove's voice. He sees the pout on her face and the smirk on Cato's. "So, here I am. What is it you think you know about us 2?"

"You in a hurry 12? Don't you want to talk to us? Get to know us a little?" Clove asks, laughing.

"No, I'm not in a hurry, just tired. Rough morning and I woke early today. Plus, we have training again in the morning."

Cato and Clove sit on either side of Peeta. "Don't really care about your personal problems, _Fire Boy._" Cato says. Peeta flinches at the nickname. "What we're really interested in is that 'show' you put on with the weights the other day. Even our mentor was impressed when I told him. Said no one's ever done that."

"So, I've heard" comments Peeta dryly.

"Yeah, well, he made Cato there go and try himself. Couldn't even reach the closest dent." Clove snickers.

Peeta looks at Cato, eyes wide in shock. Cato laughs at his reaction. "What can I say? It's harder than you made it look. But that's not the reason we're here. It's you and your band of misfits. We _know_ that all of you are better at things than you appear. You guys are holding back. We are curious as to why."

There it is. Peeta knew that he and his friends couldn't pull off looking weaker than they were. After training as long as they had, they were foolish to think it would work. Should he tell these two the truth? Haymitch told him to go with his gut. His gut was telling him that if he isn't honest he could get hurt.

Peeta sighs. "I really don't want to tell you anything without the rest of my friends. We are a team. But _we_ have a feeling about the two of you." He looks at Clove. "Plus, I don't really relish the thought of a knife in my back."

Clove laughs. "It could still happen."

Peeta just shakes his head. He continues before Cato says something. "You're right. We have been holding back." He sees Cato's smirk but continues. "Katniss, Gale, and I are hunters. We sneak through the fence that surrounds our district to get food for our families. Been doing it since Katniss and I were 11. Gale was 12. Delly, Madge, and Rie joined us a couple years later." He stops there, waiting to see what the other 2 have to say.

"Oh, a bad boy. I'm impressed!" exclaims Clove.

"Shut it Clove. There's more to his story and I want to hear it." Cato says crossing his large arms across .

Peeta sighs. He stands and faces them, resigned to tell them the rest. "Cato's right. There's more." He didn't see the shock on their faces at the use of Cato's name. "We had met someone in the forest. This person told us of a rebellion being planned against the Capitol. This person introduced us to 3 people who trained us to fight. When we were reaped, our training leader told us to be on the lookout for others who have been trained like us. We were told to invite them to join us."

"And have you seen any?" asks Clove.

Peeta looks at her. "Yes, we believe so."

"Who?" ask Cato smugly.

"I don't want to say as I'm not sure if they would want me to tell you."

Cato stands in front of Peeta menacingly. Peeta stands his ground. "And why the hell not? Afraid we'll get them to turn against you?"

"No. First they haven't agreed to join us. We –"

"You've already talked to them?" Clove asks incredulously. "We haven't even been here a week yet!"

Peeta turns to Clove who is now standing next to Cato. "Yes. Our first meeting was last night. Our other meeting was earlier tonight. We told them what I've told you and let them have time to decide whether or not they want to join us." He takes a step back, his back against the railing. "We also think you two are like us and were trying to think of a way to get you to meet us. Guess you beat us to the punch. So, my turn to ask some questions. Have you been approached to join the rebellion?"

Cato and Clove share a smirk. "We have. But the real question is why would we join you?" asks Cato.

"Sorry, I'm asking the questions now." Peeta says confidently. "Are you going to tell anyone about us?"

"Not if you answer the question." Clove says.

"Fine. If we can get the other specially trained tributes to join us in the arena we can expect further orders from our commander."

"Who's your commander?" demands Cato, getting fed up with Peeta.

"Boggs. He, Jackson, and Mitchell are our trainers."

"Boggs? You know Boggs? He was our trainer at the academy when we were younger. How is he?" asks Clove excitedly.

"He's well. So, do we join forces or what?" Peeta directs his question to Cato.

"I want to know who you've talked to. We don't just want to be teamed up with anyone." replies Cato.

"You're putting me in a corner and I don't appreciate it Cato. Will you at least give me your word that if I tell you that you won't say anything to them? In return, I will tell you if and when they decide to join us. I promise."

Cato gives Peeta a look that scares him. "We won't say anything. Now tell us!"

Peeta feels relief. He is beginning to trust Cato but knows he has no real reason to. "Last night we met with Glimmer and Marvel from District one and earlier tonight, Rue and Thresh from District 11." He sees the look of shock on Cato and Clove's faces. He continues. "They admitted to us that they have had training and are deciding on whether or not to join us. If you will answer one more question for me, we can decide where to go from here. Have you guys been trained for the rebellion?"

It's Clove that answers. "Yes. How did you know?"

"It was a feeling Madge had. She observed how you two never really talked with the others from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Well, except for Glimmer and Marvel. Then there's the way you move. Rie noticed that you are always aware of your surroundings, like we are." He turns to Cato. "We really do want you guys to be part of our group in the arena. We were going to talk to you two and let you think about what we were offering."

Cato looks at the younger boy. "We, too, were told to look for others. We just didn't believe there were any. Then you threw those weights. Even if your group wasn't trained, we were going to ask you Peeta to join us – just you. But now circumstances changed." He looks at Clove who nods at him before turning back to Peeta. "We're in. BUT, we are not going to be all buddy-buddy with you guys in training. We have to keep up appearances."

With that, the two from 2 leave Peeta alone on the roof. He sits back down on the bench. He's in shock. He didn't think it would be that easy to get them to agree. Peeta's so deep in thought he didn't hear the other person come on the roof and sit by him.

"Peeta, what are you doing up here this late?" Peeta jumps and turns to the voice. It's Finnick. "And why were you alone with the District 2?"

Peeta looks at Finnick. He looks better than he did that morning. His hair looks clean, his sea green eyes bright. "I, uh, well…"

"Spit it out Peeta Bread. It's getting late and you still have training in the morning." Finnick smiled.

"They wanted to talk to me alone so I met them. It's no big deal Finn."

"Did you get them to join your group?" asks Finnick.

Peeta's mouth drops. "You knew they were part of the rebellion? Why didn't you say something?"

Finnick just shrugs. "You were supposed to do it on your own. Where's the rest of the group?"

Peeta looks away. "Cato came to me before dinner and demanded I alone meet them up here. They were going to ask me to join them. I got them to join us instead."

Finnick looks impressed. "Good job. Did you get anyone else?"

"No, we're letting them decide still. We didn't want to pressure them."

Finnick nods at this. The two sit quietly together deep in their own thoughts. It was a few minutes later when Finnick speaks. "I'm not mad at you anymore. You were right. I should've waited to tell you how I felt and not right before you were getting ready to fight for your life. And I'm sorry our break-up hurt you so much. I honestly didn't know. Can we still try to be friends?"

Peeta smiles. "I'm sorry that I wasn't nicer to you about the way I told you about my pain. And I'd like us to be friends Finn. I really would."

The two sit on the roof and talk about how Peeta and the gang's training were going. Finnick was impressed when he heard Peeta talk about putting dents in the wall and floor of the training room. He explained that he had locked himself in his room so hadn't heard anything. They talked for a couple more minutes until Finnick noticed Peeta yawning.

"Go to bed my little Peeta Bread. We'll talk again soon." The two hugged goodbye and Peeta left. Finnick followed a moment later. Neither saw the figure hiding around the corner, Cato.

The next morning, Peeta got up and got ready for breakfast. He was a little nervous about telling the rest of his group about his private meeting. He knew they'd be upset that they weren't there but hoped that when they heard about Cato and Clove joining them in the arena, they'd forgive him. He heads to the dining room and sits down. Rie and Delly haven't shown up yet. Peeta eats while he waits for everyone to be there for his news. Less than a minute later, they arrive and sit. Peeta decides it's now or never.

"Hey guys, I have something to tell you. It's important and I hope that you'll hear me out before interrupting me. Yesterday when I was getting ready for dinner, I had a visitor. Cato came to me and requested that I meet him and Clove on the roof last night – _alone_. After dinner, I spoke to Haymitch about it and he told me to go. After our meeting with Rue and Thresh, I came back here so none of you would know. About 45 minutes later, I went back up to the roof. They showed up soon after. They knew we were different, knew we had training like we suspected them of. We talked, or rather I talked, and after feeling threatened enough, I asked them to join us. I even offered them time to think about it. But they surprised me. Guys, we have our first to allies."

No one said anything for a moment. They were still absorbing the fact that they had allies. They just needed to get Marvel and Glimmer and Rue and Thresh.

"Peeta, that's wonderful. Do I wish I could have been there? Sure. But this is great news! Good job!" exclaims Delly.

Gale grins at Peeta. "How badly were you freaking out?"

"You have no idea. I'd rather face another bear than do that again." Everyone laughs. Effie comes into the dining room to let the kids know it's almost time for training.

After another long day training, the group heads back to their apartment. They didn't realize how much they missed their mentor until he wasn't there at breakfast. They quickly ran and got cleaned and ready for dinner. Once they were all sitting down, Haymitch began the grilling – How'd the meeting with District 11 go? Are they in? Has anyone heard anything from District 1? Then he turns to Peeta and begins to grill him, but Peeta just tells him they're in and Haymitch drops it. As soon as dinner is done, Haymitch drops a bomb shell. "The day before the interviews, all the districts will be gathered at the stage where the interviews will be held. The President and the game makers have an announcement they want to make to you tributes. This is all the information I have right now, so don't ask me questions. Go watch TV or whatever." Haymitch gets up and heads towards his room. The group decides to go to bed.

Peeta pulls on a pair of blue pajama pants and white tank top to sleep in. As he pulls back the covers, there's a knock at his door. "Come in." he says.

Gale walks in wearing the same outfit, only green pants instead of blue. He leans against the doorframe. "You've been in a better mood today. Is this because of the alliance with District 2?"

Peeta smiles. "Actually no. I had a talk with Finnick _after_ meeting with 2."

Gale shuts the door and sits with Peeta on the bed. "And you're happy because?"

"Finn said that he was wrong about how he handled things and we decided to work on our friendship. We talked for a while and then I came back to go to bed."

Gale snorts. "Finnick admitting he was wrong? Wish I could have seen that." They both laugh. Gale stands up, says good night and turns off Peeta's lights as he leaves.

The next two days of training pass quickly. Rue tells Katniss before lunch, they're in on the last day. She lets Rue know that Cato and Clove are in as well. Rue shrugs and said they discussed that and decided to join anyway. Peeta, true to his word, walks by Cato after lunch on his way to the agility station and mouths 'Eleven's in' when he catches Cato's eye.

After dinner, the group decides to go to the roof and relax. They're dreading the next day, the private session with the game makers. As they discuss their plans, Delly sees Glimmer walking up. The group all turns to face her.

"I can't stay but we thought you should know that we're in." Glimmer says.

"And we think you should know that Thresh, Rue, Cato, and Clove are in." Peeta tells Glimmer.

She nods. "Good. The 12 of us then. I'll tell Marvel. Well, good night then." She turns to walk away before adding, "Good luck tomorrow." As soon as she's gone, Peeta stands up.

"Where are you going Peet?" Gale asks.

"To keep my promise to Cato. I told him that as soon as we knew, I'd let him know. You've seen the guy. I certainly don't want to get on his bad side. I'll be back later." Peeta turns and goes to the elevator. He gets in and heads down to District 2's apartment. He sees an older woman that looks familiar. It dawns on him it's Lyme, one of the victors from 2. She sees him and smiles. "He's the last door on the right. He should still be awake." Peeta thanks her and heads down the hall. He gets to Cato's door and knocks. He's shocked when Cato opens the door in his underwear. Cato invites him in. Walking by the nearly naked boy causes Peeta to blush. He can't help it. The guy has the body of a god. A perfectly sculpted, toned, tanned, and muscular god. Peeta can't help thinking he'd love to run his hands over those muscles. Cato's voice breaks him from his lustful thoughts.

"What can I do for you Peeta?"

Peeta turns and looks Cato in the eyes, trying to avoid his chest and abs. "I came to tell you that Glimmer and Marvel are in."

Cato raises a brow. "And this couldn't wait until you saw me tomorrow before the private sessions?"

Peeta stutters, "I, uh. Well, um." He takes a deep breath and tries again. "Look, I promised that as soon as I knew they were in I'd tell you. I keep my promises."

Cato smiles. "Fair enough. I like that in my allies, keeping their word. So, do you have to go back to your floor right away or can you stay and talk for a little while?"

Peeta can't contain his shock. "You want me to stay and talk? Why?"

Cato laughs. He gestures to a couch and Peeta leads the way. Peeta's a little nervous about being around the half-naked teen. He sits as far away from Cato as he can without making it obvious. As soon as they're both sitting, Cato answers Peeta's question. "We're going to be working together in the arena soon. Shouldn't we know a little something about each other? Build some trust?"

"I guess so. What do you want to know?" Peeta asks skeptically, looking at his hands folded in his lap.

"Why did you volunteer for that kid?" Cato asks bluntly.

Peeta sighs. "I couldn't let him come and fight against 71 other kids. And as you pointed out, he _is_ a kid." He answers purposely leaving out certain details that Cato doesn't need to know. "Why did you volunteer?"

"To bring honor to my family and district." Cato replies as if it was obvious. "How old are you?"

Peeta looks at Cato confused, "17. Why?"

"The others seem to defer to you, like you're the leader. It's why I wanted to talk to just you the other night." Cato shrugs. "Are you the oldest in your group?"

Peeta smiles, "No, Gale and Rie are both 18. The rest of us are 17. And I'm no leader. We work as a team, equals. We listen to each other's opinions and work towards a common goal together." He looks at Cato. "How old are you?"

"I'm 18." Cato pauses. "Uh."

Peeta notices Cato turn towards the wall in front of him, moving his mouth like he's trying to say something. "What is it Cato? You can say it. We're trying to build trust here, remember?"

Cato looks at Peeta, a small smile on his lips. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Peeta chuckles, "Really? '_Do you have a girlfriend_?' That's what you got hung up on?" He sees the sour look on Cato's face and gets serious. "No. I never had one. I was way too _busy_ living my life. Do you have a girlfriend?" He hopes Cato doesn't notice the way he sounded disgusted at the idea that he would have a girlfriend. He was into guys and had been for years. Gale only found out because of how devastated Peeta was when his very first boyfriend, Finnick, and he decided to end it. The only other people who knew were Haymitch, Johanna, and Katniss. Plus, Cato didn't really look like he'd be interested in boys, let alone someone like Peeta.

Peeta watches as Cato shakes his head and says, "No. I also was too _busy_."

Peeta was rather surprised by Cato's answer. Someone as good looking him could have his pick of any female. He sneaks a look at Cato's alarm clock on the bedside table. "I better get back to my room. We have a big day tomorrow." He stands and begins to head to the door. He's stopped before he reaches it by Cato's gentle voice.

"Good night Peeta. I'll see you tomorrow."

Peeta looks back at Cato, responding just as gently, "Good night, Cato."

Back in his room, Peeta was lying in bed thinking about his conversation with Cato. It was the strangest talk he'd ever had. On the roof, Cato seemed different, confident, sure of himself. Tonight, he was, well for a lack of a better word, nice. He was still curious as to why Cato asked him how old he was or if he had a girlfriend. And what did they have to do with trust?

**Just one quick note here. I do have a *bonus* chapter coming that is Cato's thoughts and stuff. After writing this chapter I thought it'd be a nice treat to see Cato's side of all this. **


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello and welcome to the fourth chapter. I want to apologize for the delay. It was work related. Sadly, my job comes first. **

**I'm thrilled to be seeing reviews, especially those that tell me that it's good so far. I appreciate any and all comments that can help me improve my story. **

**MangoMagic –First, I want to say that I **_**thank you**_** for your honesty. After reading your review I went back and reread what I'd written. I think I understand what you are saying about 'not feeling it'. When I was writing it, I was thinking ahead about the upcoming roof meetings and feel I may have tried to push myself to get there. Finnick- I was afraid he might have come across as too nice considering everything that's happened with him and Peeta. Cato – yes, he knows about Finnick and Peeta. In the next chapter I promise you'll find out why he asked the question. I wrote a Cato centric chapter as I thought it would be interesting to see things from his side. **

**Rolyn – Welcome to my story and Thank you for your honesty as well. Before fanfiction, I only wrote stories for my niece and they tended to be rather descriptive. **

**lincolnlog89- The thought of Peeta throwing his balls is so **_**not**_** immature ;) There will definitely be more sarcasm from Clove and Johanna coming up. Cato is **_**definitely**_** one sneaky little bastard. And who wouldn't want to know Cato's thoughts and motives?!**

Chapter 4 – Private Sessions, An Announcement, and Interviews

Peeta woke up the next morning dreading the event about to come. He was ready to show the game makers what he had, but knew it meant he was that much closer to going into the arena. He drags himself to the bathroom and brushes his teeth. He turns on the shower and sets it as hot as he could stand it. When he got out and pushed the button to dry his skin and hair, he heard a noise coming from his room. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and threw open the door. Standing there by his bed was Cato. It throws Peeta for a moment.

"What are you doing here Cato?" Peeta asks, trying to sound calm even though inside he's freaking out.

"I just wanted to come by and ask if you wanted to train together this morning before the private sessions." Cato replies nonchalantly.

"Sure. I can do that. What kind of training do you want to do?" Peeta asks getting his clothes together.

"I was thinking maybe the weight station and the hand-to-hand. Is that okay with you?" Cato asks, politely turning his back to Peeta.

"Sounds good." Peeta says putting on his clothes quickly. "Have you already eaten? Because I can just grab a roll and some fruit to eat on the way down."

"Yeah, I ate before coming up. I can wait downstairs for you to eat. I didn't mean to interrupt your morning."

"You didn't interrupt and I'll go down with you. Let's go." Peeta says, touching Cato's arm making him jump. "Sorry."

Cato just smiles at Peeta. "Lead the way, Peeta."

The two walk to the dining room. There's no one there so Peeta grabs a biscuit, a banana, and a bottle of water. He turns to Cato, "Ready?"

"Yep. Let's go."

By the time they get to the training room, Peeta has finished eating. He and Cato head to the weight station first. They do some stretches before lifting. They're on their third set of squat reps when people start coming in. During their workout, they talk about things from their homes. Heading to the hand-to-hand station where they wrestled and practiced some mock martial art fighting techniques, Peeta tells Cato of how his first time hunting he scared off a deer because he had a heavy tread. Cato's laughter causes some stares. An hour before the bell rings for lunch, peacekeepers begin going around to the tributes that are having their private sessions that day to see what they want to have setup. Peeta and Cato give their instructions and are sent to lunch.

In the lunch room, Peeta sits with his friends. No one questions Peeta about leaving early or him training with Cato. He spots Cato with the other 'careers' from 2 and 4. He then realizes that none of the tributes from the even numbered districts are there in the lunch room. By the time he's done eating, the tributes are beginning to be lined up on the benches and called to their sessions. Clove is the third tribute called. She looks towards Peeta and winks. He smiles and mouths 'good luck'. She nods and hops to the doors. It's 30 minutes later when Cato is called. He smiles at Peeta who returns it.

For the next 6 hours, the group from 12 waits until its finally their turn. Delly goes first. She had told the group her plan of attack over lunch – starting with setting a couple snares, moving to throwing some knives, followed by shooting some arrows, ending with a demonstration of self-defense moves. Madge is next – her plan was throwing knives, shooting arrows, setting some traps, and showing some of her kick boxing moves. Katniss plans on running the obstacle course while shooting arrows and throwing knives at moving targets followed by showing her knowledge of edible and poisonous plants. Rie is throwing knives, shooting the bow and arrows and finally running the stamina course on a hard level. Gale decides to set some of the most complicated snares he's done, throwing some knives, shooting arrows, finishing with some karate moves. Peeta mentions he, too, is throwing knives and shooting arrows. He adds he's tossing some weights as well. But when he's finally called his plan becomes a little more complicated.

Peeta walks in and introduces himself but realizes that the game makers aren't paying any attention to him. He goes to the table that was prepared for him grabbing the bow and an arrow. He runs over to the fire making station and starts a fire before going back dipping the tip of the arrow into a can of paint. He takes the arrow and lights the tip on fire before going back to the table leaving the fire for someone else to put out. He then shoots the lit arrow at the wall behind the game makers who all jump and scream before turning to look at Peeta.

"Peeta Mellark, District 12. I would appreciate your attention for the next 15 minutes if you don't mind!" he exclaims before turning his back and gathering his knives, ninja stars, and the quiver of arrows. He runs to the circle of mannequins he requested. While running towards the circle, he pulls the stars out of his pockets, flinging them at the dummies in front of him. One star lands right between the eyes of the dummy, half way in. Then when he gets to the center, he begins flipping and spinning, throwing his knives. One knife lands dead center of the throat of the dummy, handle deep. He then takes the bow from behind his back and starts shooting at the moving targets set up behind the dummy in front of him. Every arrow a bull's eye. He then goes back to the table, where under it is 5 weights – 100 lbs., 125 lbs., 150 lbs., 175 lbs., and 225 lbs. These he throws towards the wall to his left, the farthest one from him. The 5 weights all land near the wall. He then grabs his final weapon, a Katana blade. He goes back to the dummies and slices the heads off. The last dummy head doesn't fall until Peeta stands and gives a forward kick. Not only does the head come off, but the dummy flies 30 feet. Then he hears the head game makers voice, "Thank you Peeta. You may go now." Peeta drops the Katana and heads to the elevator.

Peeta gets in the elevator and pushes the button for 12. He busy thinking about his performance and doesn't notice the elevator stopping on 2. It's Cato's voice that startles him out of his thoughts.

"It wasn't that bad, was it Peeta?" Cato asked worriedly.

Peeta grimaced, "I think I did well, but –"

"But what?"

"I did something really stupid. GAH!" Peeta runs his hands through his hair. He looks at Cato. "I shot a flaming arrow at the game makers. I mean, it hit the wall behind them but still." He looks away ashamed.

Cato turns him around and put his hands on his shoulders. "Let's go to the roof and you can tell me the whole story, okay?"

Peeta nods and watches Cato push the button for the roof as the doors open to the 12th floor. No one is there and Peeta breathes a sigh of relief as the doors close again. Once on the roof, they head over to the bench in the garden and sit down. Peeta puts his elbows on his knees and laces his fingers in his hair. He's thankful that Cato is giving him a moment to gather his thoughts. A couple minutes later he sits up and looks at Cato.

"I was ready to go, the table was sitting there with everything I asked for. I looked up at the game makers and did my introduction but none of them even looked at me. So I ran to the fire station and lit a fire. I ran back, grabbed the bow and an arrow which I dipped in some paint. Then I lit the tip of the arrow. I shot it high up on the wall behind the game makers. Once I had their attention, I did my stuff – threw some knives and stars, shot some moving targets, threw some weights, and ended cutting some dummies with a Katana. Seneca thanked me and I got into the elevator. Now here we are." He finished, feeling stupid.

Cato had an impressed look on his face. He reached over and grabbed Peeta's hand. "I think that had I been in your shoes, I would've done the same thing. They're there to watch you." Cato paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "What were they doing when you shot at them anyway?"

Peeta smiles. "There was a roasted pig on a table that most of the game makers were picking at. And some were drinking and singing. Seneca was just standing there looking pleased with himself."

He was staring at Cato. He noticed that he had long, dark blonde eyelashes and some light freckles across the bridge of his nose. But it was Cato's lips that really caught Peeta's eye. They were full and red. The most kissable lips he'd seen. And he wanted to. Badly. As soon as that thought passed, he shocked himself. He looked away but could still feel Cato's hand on his. He took a deep breath and dared to look at Cato again. "How did you know I was in the elevator?" he asks, hoping that his perusal of Cato's face went unnoticed.

"I didn't. I was actually on my way here. I just wanted to clear my head. You being on the elevator was a nice surprise. I'm just sorry that you had a rough session."

Peeta blushes and looks down. "Thank you Cato."

Cato puts a finger under Peeta's chin and turns his face towards his own. "You're welcome Peeta" he says softly before leaning in and giving him a quick, soft kiss.

Peeta looked at Cato with eyes wide. His only thought was 'his lips _are_ as soft as they look'. Neither boy moved, looking at each other in the eyes. At least until they heard someone walking towards them. Cato pulled his hand away and sat up as Katniss walked up.

"Peeta! Here you are. Everyone is looking for you." She sees Cato. "Oh, hey Cato."

"Hi Katniss." Cato replies staring out.

"So Peeta, how come you're up here? Haymitch wanted to talk to you about your session."

"Tell Haymitch I'll be down soon please. I just need a few more minutes." Peeta says, hoping she won't notice his nervousness.

"Sure thing Peeta. Good night Cato." She turns and leaves the two boy alone again.

Peeta and Cato just sit there, neither talking. Peeta wants to ask Cato about the kiss but can't find the words. Suddenly, Cato stands up and says "We better get you back to your floor before someone else comes for you." Peeta looks up and sees Cato holding out his hand smiling. He takes the offered hand and feels Cato helping him to stand. Neither one lets go until they get to Peeta's floor. As Peeta gets out Cato says "I'll see you in the morning."

"Meet me here at 8." Peeta replies before the doors shut.

He walks to the dining room to grab something to eat. He hasn't eaten since lunch and he's pretty hungry. As he sits down with his plate piled with food, Haymitch walks in.

"There you are boy. I heard about what happened earlier. Care to tell me what you were thinking?"

Peeta could hear the amusement in his voice so he knew Haymitch wasn't angry. "They weren't paying attention to me so I made them."

Haymitch laughs. "With a flaming arrow? You have a pair of brass ones boy."

Peeta chuckles then gets serious. "What do you think will happen to me now? I mean, will they send the peacekeepers after me?"

Haymitch shakes his head. "I doubt it. If they send peacekeepers after you. They'd have to tell what happened in your sessions."

Peeta looks confused. "Why would they have to say anything?"

A new voice comes from behind Peeta. "How else would they explain the peacekeepers taking you?" Gale answers. "Where have you been? We missed you at dinner."

Peeta looks over to Gale. "I was on the roof with Cato. I was really upset when I got into the elevator. It stopped on the 2nd floor and I didn't even notice. When he got in, he took me to the roof to calm down."

Gale cocks his brow. "That's really nice of him."

"It was. The fresh air helped." Peeta said ignoring Gale's sarcasm. He finished eating and sat back, turning to Haymitch asking, "What happens tomorrow? Can we still go down and practice if we want?"

"You can go down if you want. When it's time for lunch, you come back up here and Effie and I will start the interview preparation stuff. I'll be helping with content and she'll help with the etiquette. After dinner, we'll get your scores."

Peeta yawns. "Sounds good. I think I'm going to shower and hit the sheets. Good night Haymitch, Gale." He gets up and heads to his room. He strips out of his clothes, dropping them as he walks to the bathroom. He isn't in there long. He's tired. He dries off and heads to the dresser. He pulls on a pair of black boxer briefs and a pair of baggy sweat shorts before climbing into bed. There's a knock. He yells "Come in" as he sits up. "What can I do for you Gale?"

Gale smirks. "Just wanted to talk to you about Cato. You spent the day with the guy. Is there something going on between you two?"

Peeta sighs. "There's nothing going on between the two of us Gale. We've just been talking." He certainly isn't going to mention the kiss.

Gale looks relieved. "I was worried something more was going on. I just don't want you getting hurt again." Yep, definitely a good idea not to say anything about the kiss.

"Thanks Gale. I'm glad you're looking out for me. I'm really tired though. We can talk more tomorrow if you want."

"Maybe we will. Good night Peet." Peeta fell asleep thinking about the kiss from Cato.

The next morning, Peeta got up early so he'd be ready to meet Cato. At 8am, he was waiting for the elevator to arrive. When the doors open, there was Cato. Peeta gets in and lets Cato push the button for the training room floor. Just as the doors close, they both say "Good morning" at the same time. They laugh. Cato asks Peeta to show him his archery skills before anyone shows up. They quickly go over and Peeta is able to shoot 10 arrows before anyone else shows up. Cato applauds every Bullseye. They go to the obstacle course and run through it twice. Clove joins them there and talks Peeta into running the course once with her.

The 5 remaining District 12 tributes came down and join Peeta, Cato, and Clove at the stamina course. They run in boy/girl pairs. Katniss pairs up with Cato. Peeta overhears her ask him what's going on between him and Peeta. Peeta shakes his head. Cato tells her that their just talking, getting to know each other as allies, nothing more. She accepts his answer and they take their turn on the course. Glimmer and Marvel show up just as the group decides to head to weight training station. Before they know it, it's lunch time. Glimmer, Marvel, Rue, and Thresh head to the lunch room while the rest head over to the elevator.

After lunch, Effie takes the girls to practice walking in heels and sitting like proper young ladies. Haymitch takes the guys to the living room to discuss how they'll present themselves in their interviews. After 2 hours, they switch. To say it was a long afternoon would be an understatement.

With Cinna and Portia as guests, an early dinner of tender roast beef, mashed potatoes, stuffing, acorn squash, and various breads, they went to the living room to watch the scores from the game makers. Most of the 'careers' scored in the 7 – 9 range except one girl from 4 who scored a 6. Glimmer and Marvel each scored 9's, Clove scored a 10. But Cato got an 11. The kids from Districts 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 scored between 4 – 6 except the red haired girl from 5 who scored an 8. Thresh scored a 10 and Rue got an 8. Finally it was District 12's turn. It went like this:

Delly – 9

Madge – 8

Katniss – 10

Rie – 8

Gale – 9

Then came Peeta's score. He was nervous remembering what had happened. He scores an 11, the same score as Cato! It was pandemonium in the District 12 apartment. Johanna and Finnick came up to congratulate their friends and share a drink with Haymitch. Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, Cato, Rue, Thresh, Gloss, Lyme, and Chaff also came up. The mentors went to the roof to discuss the next step the kids were going to have to take once they were in the arena. With the return of the mentors returning from the roof, Lyme asked Cato, Thresh, Marvel, and Peeta to join her up on the roof for a moment.

When they reached the garden she said, "This is the plan. Once the entire group of the 12 of you are together, you will be receiving your first sponsor gift from 13. You will be given a clue as to when the rescue will happen. The plan is to get the 12 of you out of the arena. I can't give you any more than that. Even I do not know how it will happen. Before you ask as to why the four of you were picked, the other mentors and I felt that a male from each district should know what's going on in the event something should happen. Peeta, as you had the highest score for you district, you were chosen." Peeta was shocked. He didn't even try to get that score. "That, plus Haymitch, Finnick, and Johanna's recommendations. They gave you very high praises – saying how you overcame a painful childhood and one of the strongest people they know. I personally don't think they meant just physically." Peeta is sure his face would put a tomato to shame. He never discusses what had happened, not even with Gale. He could feel the questioning looks from the other 3 tributes. He shakes his head, letting them know now was not the time. He wasn't even mad at Haymitch, Finn, and JoJo. He knew they meant no harm. "So, you four have your orders. Gather the group, keep them safe, and wait for your rescue clue. Got it?" The four boys nod. "Good, let's head back now."

He sees that Johanna and Finnick were still there. But why was Finnick looking at him with a scowl? That's when he hears Cato whisper next to his ear, "I don't think he likes me being this close to you." As Cato walks over to Clove, Peeta is left to wonder exactly what Cato meant by that. Peeta then notices Finnick walking towards him. He smiles at him but doesn't get one back. When Finnick reaches him, he asks to speak to Peeta in private for a moment. Peeta leads Finnick to the hallway. As he passes Cato, he can see that Cato is scowling at Finnick. Peeta rolls his eyes.

He stops about halfway down the hall and turns to Finnick. Before he has a chance to open his mouth Finnick asks, "What's going on between you and Cato? And don't tell me nothing. My tributes have told me that the two of you trained together the past 2 days." Peeta can hear the hint of jealousy in Finnick's voice.

"There is nothing going on between us. We decided to train together because we're allies. Isn't that what allies do? We're supposed to work together right? I'm going to need to trust him in the arena to help the group. There's no need to be jealous." Peeta knew the jealous remark might hurt but he didn't care.

At least until he saw the hurt in Finnick's eyes. "I'm sorry Finn. That wasn't fair of me. But you can't act like we're together anymore. We agreed to be friends, nothing more."

Finnick looked down at his feet. "You're right Peeta. I am a little jealous. And I am sorry." He looks at Peeta. "Can I ask what he said to you?"

"Just that he was going over to Clove to talk." Peeta lied. He could see the relief in Finnick's eyes.

"So, an 11 huh? Haymitch told Jo and I what you did. Very gutsy."

Peeta laughed. "I freaked out after, thinking they'd come after me. I guess they did in a way. They put a large target on my back."

"I guess they did. Well, I better go. I have to get back to my floor. Mags is probably worried. I did run out of there like I was on fire. See ya Peeta Bread."

They walked back towards the living room. Johanna was waiting for Finnick by the elevator. "Come on Pretty Boy, we gotta scram. Bye Bread Boy."

"Bye JoJo." Peeta replied smiling at her.

He walks into the living room and sits on the couch. He leans his head back and shuts his eyes. The excitement from earlier and his conversation with Finnick wearing him out. He feels two people sit down on either side of him. He opens his eyes and sees Katniss to his left and Gale to his right. He waits for them to say something. He doesn't wait long.

"What did Finnick want, Peet?" asks Gale.

"The same thing everyone else keeps asking me, what's going on between Cato and I. There's nothing going on." He replied a little irritated.

"Well, you went to practice early with him twice and that makes it seem like there is something. You know we're just worried about you Peeta. You've been hurt before and we're worried it could happen again. Don't be mad at us please." Katniss says.

"I'm not mad at you guys. I appreciate the concern but I really am not looking for a relationship right now. I have too much else to worry about. Mainly what's going to happen once we go into the arena. We need a plan."

"I say we wait until after the 'special' announcement from the president and game makers tomorrow. We can then meet with everyone and decide. I have a feeling that this meeting is going to be interesting." Gale says. "Well, I'm going to say good night to the others and go to bed. See you in the morning Peet, Catnip."

"Wait Gale, I'll come with you to say good bye. I'm ready to go to bed too." Katniss says as she stands to join Gale. "Night Peeta."

"Good night guys." Peeta resumes the position he was in before Gale and Katniss came over. A few minutes later he can hear others getting ready to leave. He gets up and stands by Haymitch near the elevator to say good night to their guests. When Peeta looks at Cato, he sees the taller boy mouth "roof" and "hour" Peeta nods tiredly. Once everyone has gone. The rest of the District 12 members say good night to each other and go to their rooms. Peeta is exhausted but he agreed to meet Cato so he waits until it's time to leave.

When he gets to the roof he sees Cato is already there. He can feel his heart beating a little faster at the sight of the older boy. He walks over to him and says hi.

"Hey, you came. I wasn't sure you would because you looked a little tired."

Peeta shrugs. "I was curious."

"It's about the plan. I can't stop thinking about it. I highly doubt that the twelve of us are going to be by each other. There are 60 other tributes to separate us."

Peeta thinks about this. "I think that's why they have the four of us being the leaders, to make sure we gather everyone together."

"I understand that." Cato says, frustration lacing his voice. "But what if –"

Peeta cuts him off, "Maybe we should let Rie and Gale in on the plan. That would be six of us to gather everyone." He watches Cato think about what he just said. He doesn't like going against orders but Cato has a point about the separation.

"That could work. I mean we have no idea what to expect in the arena and it could help." Peeta could see him relax a little. "I wonder what the president and the game makers are going to tell us tomorrow." Cato continues.

"Most likely some crazy twist. There's never been this many tributes before. I bet it's something to ensure a bloodbath that's never been seen before." Peeta has a sudden thought. "Are we going to go to the cornucopia? To get weapons?"

"I think we should. But with more tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 I just don't know. You can be sure that they'll come after Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, and me. We were supposed to be part of the group. Not that I ever wanted to team up with any of them."

They sit there, deep in their own thoughts. Peeta yawns.

"You're tired Peeta. I should've never asked you up here. You should go to bed."

Peeta stands but Cato stays where he is. "Aren't you coming?"

"No. I have too much going on in my head. You go on ahead. I'll see you tomorrow." Cato looks up at Peeta. "Good night."

"Don't stay up here too much longer. You should get some sleep too. Good night Cato." Peeta turns and heads back to his room.

Effie wakes Peeta up and tells him to get to breakfast as the prep teams will be there in an hour to get him prepped for the interviews tomorrow. During breakfast, Rie asks why they were being prepped so early Effie explains, "Apparently, due to the amount of tributes each day, the only thing the stylists will have time for is getting you dressed and ready for your interviews. Plus, since you are required to be at both interviews, you will have two different outfits."

After a long morning filled with baths and waxing's, the group from District 12 sat down for a lunch. They had an hour before they had to head downstairs to the studio where the interviews will be held. They were anxious to get down there and find out what the announcement was going to be. The elevator ride was somber. Arriving to the backstage area, they are led by a peacekeeper to where they were expected to sit. Once everyone was seated, Caesar Flickerman welcomed them for coming and let them know that the President and game makers would join them momentarily. From where he was sitting, he could see Cato, Clove, Glimmer, and Marvel in the first 2 rows. Rue and Thresh were in the row in front of him but at the other end by Katniss.

Peeta began checking out the way the stage was set up for the interviews that were beginning tomorrow. There were 6 sections of 6 chairs, with the three chairs in back on a raised dais as to be seen from the audience. Next to Caesar's interview chair was 6 more chairs in two rows, staggered. Gale leans over and whispers, "Does the stage look like it's set up for group interviews rather than individual ones?" Peeta just nods as he sees President Snow and Seneca Crane walk up to a podium that was set up at the front of the stage. The rest of the game makers were standing in a line behind them.

"Welcome tributes and mentors. This afternoon we have some very exciting things to tell you." Began President Snow. "For the first item to tell you has to do with the interviews. As you can see behind me, all tributes from the district will be interviewed together. Each district's interview will be 20 minutes in length. Now, you mentors should have already let your tributes know what night they will be interviewed. The rest of the tributes that are not being interviewed will be sitting in the first 6 rows in front of me. Now for some exciting news from our Head game maker, Seneca Crane." There was polite clapping as the two men switched places.

"Thank you Mr. President. Welcome tributes and mentors. This year for the third quarter quell, the arena will be unlike anything seen in the history of the games. We designed an arena that is larger to accommodate all you tributes. But that's not even the exciting news. In years past, tributes were placed close to the cornucopia, a short sprint to a bloody beginning. Due to the amount of tributes this year, we decided to make things more, shall we say _interesting_. You will be placed just over 2 miles from the cornucopia. But your path to it won't be easy. There will be many obstacles to overcome. But to show that we aren't totally heartless, there will be _items_ hidden along the way that will help you on your journey. These 'items' can be anything from water to a weapon. There is one more special announcement that will be made once you're in the arena. May the odds be ever in your favor." Seneca steps away from the microphone and President Snow steps back up to it.

"Thank you Mr. Crane. Now mentors and tributes, we are less than 3 days away from the games. Tonight there will be a banquet in the back courtyard that the sponsors have generously paid for. This banquet will be very special. When you tributes get back to your floor, there are special instructions you will follow. Also, you will get to meet with some of the sponsors. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." With that, the president left the stage along with the game makers. The mentors and tributes are taken back to the elevators to go back to their floors.

On their floor, the District 12 members are welcomed back by Cinna and Portia who immediately sit them down in the living area to show them a video from a time before Panem. It shows an event called a luau. When the video is over, Cinna takes the girls back to Katniss's room while Portia takes the boys to Rie's room to get ready. Portia dresses the boys in black board shorts with white hibiscus flower patterns. Around their necks, she puts a shell necklace. On their heads, a leipo'o (a lei headpiece) made of white hibiscus flowers. Around their ankles is a kupe'e (lei anklets) also of white hibiscus flowers. When the girls come out, they are wearing white one piece swim suits covered by a black sarong skirt with white hibiscus flowers. Delly's falls mid-thigh, Madge's goes to her knees, and Katniss's to her mid-calf. Delly and Madge's hair hang down their backs. Katniss has her hair down in her signature braid. Their leipo'o and kupe'e match the boys. They have white hibiscus bracelets as well. They're all barefoot. Haymitch comes out in a pair of board shorts like the boys but is wearing a matching Hawaiian shirt and sandals. When Effie comes out, everyone's jaw drops. She is wearing a halter sarong that matches the girls. But it's her hair and face that shocks. Her naturally brown shoulder length hair is held back by a white headband. And her make-up is soft and natural. She is wearing a pair of white sandals on her feet. Cinna comes out in an outfit matching Haymitch's, but opposite in color. Portia also is dressed up, her outfit the opposite of Effie's. They go to the elevator and head down to the main floor. They follow a peacekeeper who leads them to a door that opens to the back courtyard. They walk out and are amazed at what lies before them.

They follow a short path lit up by Tiki torches. The center of the large courtyard is surrounded by Tiki torches. As they walk into the area, they are stopped by 2 Avox's that place leis of multi colored leis around their necks. To their right are 3 very long tables covered with white table cloths. Around the edges hang grass skirting's. To the right is a buffet table covered in food, with the center holding 2 roasted pigs. Centered in the back is a short stage with a band playing music.

Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, and Portia head over to meet with some other mentors and stylists that had arrived before them. Katniss sees Rue and Thresh. She leads the others over to them. Rue is wearing a yellow one piece swimsuit with a white grass skirt. Thresh is in a pair of yellow board shorts with white hibiscus flower pattern running down the sides. Their accessories match District 12's but with yellow flowers instead of white. The teens are talking when Peeta spots Finnick and Johanna talking to Haymitch. Johanna is wearing a dark green bikini and green grass skirt. Finnick is wearing a sea blue pair of board shorts and a matching Hawaiian shirt that is hanging open showing off his tan and toned physique. For a moment, Peeta thought he was wrong about not getting back with Finnick. He remembered how it felt to run his hands along his chest and abs, the softness and the smell of the ocean on the skin. Gale sees Peeta staring at Finnick and gets his attention. "Peet, you're drooling" he whispers in Peeta's ear. Peeta turns to Gale and mouths thanks. Gale nods. That's when Thresh points out the new arrivals. Glimmer is wearing a silver bikini with a short emerald colored sarong skirt. Marvel is wearing emerald colored board shorts with silver hibiscus flowers. He is toned, pale skin lowing in the torch lights. Delly makes a weird guttural sound when she sees him that only Peeta heard. Her turns to smirk at her and she gently punches him in the shoulder. The two District 1 teens walk over to the group. After quick hellos, Peeta sees Cato walk in. He can't pull his eyes away. Cato is wearing red board shorts with white hibiscus flowers. Peeta had thought Finnick's body looked good, but Cato's body was magnificent! His broad shoulders, sculpted chest, and abs had Peeta wishing, again, that he could run his hands over it. He mentally shakes himself as Cato walks over with Clove following behind. That's when Peeta sees that Clove is wearing an off the shoulder, red dress with white hibiscus flowers. It has an elastic waist and hangs to her knees. She doesn't look very comfortable. Before anything can be said to the new arrivals, the music stops and on the stage stands Seneca Crane.

"Welcome everyone! The festivities will start again in a moment. I have a couple things to say first. We have a special surprise for the tributes, a contest really, to take place after dinner. You will be paired up and compete in a competition. The winning pair will receive something that will help them in the arena. For now, continue to mingle amongst yourselves. Our special guests will be here in about 30 minutes. Thank you."

The group turns and looks at each other. Rie speaks first. "That was weird. I wonder what this contest will be."

"Probably something physical," Clove replies. "You know, like a relay race of some sort."

"It could be mentally challenging." pipes Rue smiling. "Some sort of brain teaser."

"Only you would like that pip squeak." Laughs Thresh.

"I just hope I get one of you as my partner," says Glimmer. "I don't really don't care who." Peeta sees her looking at Rie and Gale and shakes his head.

Changing the subject, Peeta turns to Clove and Cato. "So nice of you to join us tonight. How come you guys were so late? We're usually the ones that show up late." He says pointing at his friends and himself.

Clove turns red as Cato replies. "Clover refused to wear the swim suit outfit. She finally compromised with that dress."

"Yeah, whatever. Like you weren't complaining when they put those 'damn flowers' around your ankles." Clove snickered. "Geez, you were acting like a big baby." Everyone laughs except Cato who scowls. Peeta winks at him causing Cato to smile.

Just then Seneca was back on the stage. "Our special guests are here. Please welcome your generous dinner sponsors." Walking on the stage were 10 of the most outrageously dressed Capitol citizens Peeta had ever seen. After the applause died down, Seneca continued. "These sponsors will be joining you at your tables to dine with you. Please take a seat and dinner will be served shortly. Thank you."

The 12 tributes found seats next to one another. Peeta found himself between Delly and Cato. He could feel someone watching him. He looks up and 2 tables away, Finnick is watching him. Peeta smiles at him and gets a smile in return. His view is blocked by a woman who sits across from him. She looks like a cat, whiskers and all. "Hello," she purrs. "My name is Tigris." Every 'S' sounding like a hiss.

"Hello. I'm Peeta. These are Clove, Cato, Delly, and Marvel." He says, pointing to the four closest to him.

"Ah, Peeta and Cato. The two highest scorers. How lucky for me to be at the same table as you. Tell me, how did you two manage to do that?"

Peeta looks at Cato who replies, "We can only tell you to watch us very carefully in the arena. It will amaze you."

Tigris's cat eyes twinkle, "Keeping it a secret huh? Very clever young man. I will definitely be watching the two of you." She points at them with her claw like fingers.

Avox's come to the table bringing dishes of roasted pig, Teriyaki Beef and Chicken, Shoyu Chicken, Huli Huli Chicken, Baked Mahi-Mahi, Lau Lau, Chicken Long Rice, Hawaiiain Poi, Lomilomi salmon, potato salad, Squid luau, Baked sweet potato, Taro rolls, tossed greens, Spinach salad, Pineapple chunks, papaya slices, watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, mangos, bananas, apples, and coconuts. While eating, the talking continues with Tigris asking the five tributes across from her questions about their districts. After dinner, the group of 12 tributes talked to the other 9 sponsors as they switched seats. Sometime while they were talking to the 5th or 6th sponsor, Cato had placed his arm on the back of Peeta's chair. Every once in a while he would feel Cato's thumb rub on his shoulder or back of his arm. It would send chills down his spine. He could feel Finnick watching him but wasn't going to cause a scene in front of sponsors by reacting. After, the sponsors left with the mentors to go for drinks. Peeta felt relieved but knew that Finnick would try to talk to him again soon. It was a talk he didn't want to have. He wasn't looking forward to the one he knew he was bound to have later tonight either with his roommates.

Seneca got up on stage and directed the kids to go to the training room. When they got there, they could see that it was changed from yesterday. All the weapons had been removed and survival stations cleared out. There was an obstacle course set up, but it was unlike the one that had been there earlier. This one looked like there were puzzle like games in between certain obstacles. Seneca explained that 6 pairs would run at a time. Six different races will run, winners of each race will compete in the final race to determine the winners.

Seneca began calling out tribute pairs. Peeta ended up with the red haired girl from District 5 that looked like a fox. Her name was Camille. Cato was paired with a girl from 7. Katniss was paired with Marvel. Glimmer was paired with Gale. Rie was paired with a young girl from 3. Madge was paired with a boy from 7. Delly was paired with Thresh. Clove was paired with a tall, skinny boy from 8. Rue was paired with an older boy from 4.

Peeta and Camille, Rue and the boy from 4, and Rie and the girl from three made it to the final round; they were up against a boy from 2 and a girl from 10, a girl from 1 and a boy from 6, and a boy from 4 and a girl from 9. When the final race started, Peeta and Camille were in the lead. But they lost to Rue and her partner from 4. Seneca congratulated the pair and told them they'd get their prize before they entered the arena. He then sent the tributes to their floors.

The next morning, Peeta wasn't surprised when Finnick showed up after breakfast. He wanted to talk to Peeta on the roof. To say the short ride was tense would be an understatement. They went to where they knew they'd have privacy. Finnick spoke first.

"Peeta, what's going on between you and that guy from 2? Don't tell me nothing. I saw him touching you." His tone was accusatory.

"There's nothing going on between us, Finnick! I admit I might be attracted to him. But you know that I am not looking for a relationship right now. I'm going to be fighting for my life in less than 48 hours." His voice rising in anger with each sentence. "I'm getting really tired of this. You said we were going to work on being friends. Friends don't do this. You need to stop."

"I love you Peeta. I'm not going to sit around and watch another take you from me. I'm going to fight for you no matter what it takes!" Finnick cried, reaching for Peeta's hand.

Peeta pulls back, avoiding Finnick's hands. "Leave me alone Finn. I can't do this with you now!" Peeta ran to the elevator and went straight to his room. He was seething with anger. He picked up a vase that was on his dresser and threw it across the room. Rie walked in soon after.

"Now is not a good time Rie." Peeta said angrily.

"I realize that Peet. I just thought you might want to talk. I know about you and Finnick. I never said anything because it's really none of my business. But you're my brother and I love you. I just wanted to let you know I'm available to talk."

Peeta looked at his brother. "Thanks Rie. I just need some time to be alone. I appreciate the offer though. Can I get a rain check on the talk?"

"Sure Peet. You know where I am." Rie left and Peeta locked the door behind him. He sits on his bed and thinks about everything that has happened since he volunteered. He spent a lot of time thinking about Cato. Just what was going on between the two of them? Is it just flirting or is it more? Cato wasn't like anyone he's ever met before. He can be mean and heartless but also has a rather sweet side too. Peeta could see himself in a relationship with him under different circumstances. He really liked spending time with the older blonde. It was definitely different than spending time with Finnick. He realizes that his relationship with Finnick was mainly physical. With Cato, he wonders if it could be more. He hears a knock on his door. When he opens it, he's surprised to see Delly.

"Hiya Peeta. I just came to tell you lunch is in 30 minutes. Cinna and Portia will be getting us ready after that." She sees the perplexed look on his face. "You okay Peeta? You look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Did you and Finnick fight?"

Peeta smiles at her. "Thanks Del. Yeah, I fought with Finnick. But I also have other things I've been thinking about as well."

"Cato?" She asks knowingly. "I like him. I think you two would make for a very cute couple." With that she leaves him alone.

During lunch, those from 12 talk about home. The things they miss, what they'd be doing if they were home. The reminiscing ends with the entrance of the stylists. An hour later, the boys are dressed in black slacks, white button down shirts, and black ties. The girls are dressed in matching floor length spaghetti strapped gowns. Delly's gown is blue, Madge's is pink, and Katniss's is forest green. They follow Haymitch to the elevator and head down to tonight's interviews. Since it's the odd numbered districts, they are in one of the front rows. Peeta watches the interviews but doesn't really listen. He hears Glimmer say she's ready, Marvel crack some goofy line, Rue tell how she's quick so she'll be hard to catch, and Thresh just grunt. He totally missed whatever Camille had said. He wanted to learn more about the girl his friends dubbed 'Foxface'. He had been impressed with her abilities in the contest the night before.

After the interviews, everyone went back to their own floors for dinner. Peeta decided to go to bed early. He awoke to the sounds of Rie and Madge yelling in the hall.

"You shouldn't be here Finnick. He's not up yet. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't need you and your lies right now." That was Rie.

"Finnick, can't you see that you're only going to make things worse. If you truly have feelings for Peeta, just let him come to you." That was Madge's voice. Wait, how did she know about what was going on?

"I need to tell Peeta I'm sorry that I over reacted. Guys, I love him and I need him. I know I screwed up. Please let me by."

Peeta hears Gale's voice. "You need to just go O'dair. We'll let him know you came by."

"Fine. You can't keep me from him forever." Peeta hears Finnick stomp off. He wonders when Finnick became such a possessive ass. He gets up and opens his door. He sees his brother and two friends still in the hall. They turn to him. "Thanks guys for having my back. I really can't handle his dramatics this morning." They smile. "Let me get dressed and I'll join you for breakfast." He continued.

Breakfast was a somber affair. Their interviews were tonight. And tomorrow was the day they go into the arena. After dinner, Peeta and the rest of the gang were going to meet on the roof for on last meeting. Cato and Peeta were going to fill Rie and Gale in on what the full plan was. Everyone was surprised when some of the prep team showed up with Cinna and Portia. The girls left with Cinna and the prep team members and Portia let the boys in on what they'd be wearing for their interviews. An hour later, the prep team came out and took the boys back to get them ready for Portia.

The prep team left right before lunch. The boys joined Haymitch, Effie, and Portia in the dining room. They weren't in their clothes yet. Effie informed them that the girls would be eating in the other room. After lunch, Portia took the boys back and began to dress them. Rie came out in an all-black suit. Even the tie was black. But with a push of a button, the trim of the jacket as well as the tie lit up a golden red-orange, much like his chariot costume. Gale was next. He was in a dark, charcoal gray suit with a white dress shirt, top two buttons undone, a light gray tie hanging loose around his neck. When he moved, areas of the dark gray suit would change to a lighter gray made to look like white smoke swirling up his body. "It's an amazing effect created by light being reflected off threads weaved into the suit." Explains Portia. Peeta comes out in black slacks, red dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a sunset orange vest, and black tie. Portia tells him that when Cinna comes out, he'll put the finishing touch on his suit. Delly walks out in a ballerina gown. The bodice is a very pale yellow. The skirt starts off yellow at the top fading to orange in the middle that fades to red at the bottom. Madge walks out in a black Mermaid gown with an organza layered skirt train in black, silver, and white. The effect looks like smoke trailing behind her. Katniss comes out in a red floor length, form fitting, strapless dress, with 5 ruffles along the bottom, 2 of the ruffles are orange. All three girls have their hair pulled back in buns with small wisps curled framing their faces. Cinna comes out carrying a small torch. He calls Katniss and Peeta over. He lights the orange ruffles of Katniss's dress and the bottom edge of Peeta's vest. Cinna and Portia take the teens down to the waiting area behind the stage. Haymitch and Effie had already gone down to sit with the other mentors.

All too soon they found themselves on the stage. Caesar invited the District 2 tributes to join him center stage. Peeta sees Cato saunter over to his seat, giving Peeta a wink before sitting. He's wearing black slacks, a silky looking dark blue button down shirt sleeves rolled up, and a black and dark blue striped tie. Peeta also spots Clove. She looks stunning in a black low cut V-neck cocktail dress. The asymmetrical skirt length is mid-thigh on left, knee length on right. It has a small diamond beading band around her ribs under her chest with a slightly larger jewel in the middle. Her black hair is pulled from her face with four French braids to the back of her head, where it then falls in soft curls to the middle of her back. Peeta doesn't really pay attention to what's being said. No, Peeta is thinking more about the rebellion, knowing that within 24 hours he'll be making sure his allies are safe and sound, and the clue to their rescue within his reach. He does hear Clove say, "Nah, I just volunteered for nothing. Ya know, for kicks and giggles." And Cato saying, "There are no other tributes that are as prepared and more brutal than I."

He was so deep in thought that Gale had to nudge him when Caesar was introducing District 12. He sees Cato as he's walking to his seat. Cato gives him a questioning look. Peeta gives a small shake of his head before sitting. Caesar begins with asking the girls questions.

"Madge, your father is the Mayor of District 12. What was it like growing up being the daughter of the Mayor?"

"It was fun. I got to meet many Victors, some are here as Mentors. But my friends never treated me any different just because my dad is the mayor. And that meant a lot to me."

"Delly, you seemed pretty calm when your name was called. What were you thinking?

"Well Caesar, my first thought was 'stay calm, be strong'. Fear only makes one look weak, something I strive not to be. I've been bullied before. I've learned to stand up for myself, take care of myself."

"Katniss, you were the first of your district to volunteer. You volunteered for your sister. What was going through your mind and what did she say to you before you left?"

"Prim means more to me than anything. I couldn't let her come here knowing she would be alone despite knowing my district mates. When she came to see me she told me to come home, to win."

"Rie, Peeta is your younger brother. How does it feel knowing that you're going up against a family member?"

This question really gets Peeta's attention. He turns to Rie to hear his answer.

Rie looks at Peeta, "For many years, our relationship was non-existent. We only recently began to talk and trust one another. I wish he wasn't here with me. But, I will protect him with my life for as long as I can. And I know without a doubt he will do the same."

"Gale, your brother Rory was reaped and Peeta volunteered to take his place. How did that make you feel?"

Peeta is reeling. First asking Rie about him then Gale. He really didn't want to know what sort of question he was going to be asked. He looks at Gale. Gale's face looks calm but Peeta knows he's seething on the inside.

"When I first heard Rory's name called, I was scared for him. I didn't want to have to see him possibly die. Then Peeta volunteered to take his place. I was relieved at first, then sad. Peeta has been my best friend and brother for 6 years. I didn't want him here either."

"Peeta, you are the second volunteer from District 12. When asked about the young boy you volunteered for, you called him your 'friend and brother'. Would you elaborate on that?"

Peeta really didn't want to answer this question. It brought back memories he'd rather forget. "I met Rory when I was 11 after an unfortunate accident that allowed me to meet Gale and Katniss whom I became friends with. Gale, Katniss, and I became inseparable, spending all our free time together which allowed me to get to know Rory. He became like a brother to me as did Gale while Katniss became like a sister."

"Very interesting. Gale, Katniss would either of you care to expand on how you met Peeta?"

Katniss turns to look at Gale before they both look at Peeta. They know what really happened and knew Peeta never talked about it. All three were shocked when Rie answered, but no more so than Caesar.

"Peeta and I were arguing as we always did. It got physical and I pushed Peeta down some stairs. Katniss's mother is a healer. I couldn't carry Peeta by myself and saw Gale walking by our house. I got him to help get my brother help. It took many years for Peeta and I to work past what happened and now we're closer, friends even."

Peeta smiles over to Rie to let him know that he agrees with his last statement. He wasn't sure why Rie answered and with a lie, but he was thankful. Everyone in District 12 knew the real reason of what happened. He can feel Cato's eyes on him but refuses to look over, afraid of what he'd see. And afraid of what he would do to Rie.

"Delly, you seem like the girl next door. How do you think that will affect you in the arena?"

"Well, people have told that I'm nice and friendly, but I can be the total opposite. I may look all nice on the outside, similar to Glimmer from District one she looks very pretty, but _you_ do not know who I _am_ either." Delly says keeping her poker face intact as ever.

"Gale, you're 18. This was your last year in the reaping. Did you think you'd be reaped?

"My chances of being reaped were high but I can't lie and say I wasn't hoping to not be chosen."

"So Madge, being the Mayor's daughter, did you think you might have had a different chance of being reaped?"

"What do you mean Caesar?" Madge asks confused by the question.

"Such as, not a chance. Did you think you had a different set of circumstances than the other citizens of District 12? _A slimmer chance._" Caesar explains.

"I'm still not completely sure what you mean, but what I'm getting is that you think my father bribed someone to make sure I wasn't ever reaped. Well, I'm almost sure that he didn't. No, wait. I _am_ 100% sure that he doesn't do that. He would_ never_ do that!" Madge states emphatically. Caesar just nods.

"Katniss, you got the second highest score from your district. What do you think of your chances in the arena?"

"The same as everyone else. There are 71 other tributes who think they can win." Katniss deadpans.

"Peeta, you got the highest score for your district, the same as score as Cato. Would you care tell us how you did that?"

Peeta's eyes flickered over to Cato before looking at Caesar. "I think you and the wonderful people of Panem will just have to wait and see Caesar."

"One last question for all six of you. I think all of Panem saw the pain in your eyes because of the effects of the reapings – two of you ended up volunteering – of you all as tributes. It's obvious to all of Panem that the six of you are all very close. Discounting the scores from the game makers, who in your group of tributes from District 12 do you, think has the best chance of winning the Hunger Games?"

The six teens had discussed what they would say if ever asked this question. They had all agreed to pick a member of the opposite sex.

"Peeta" Delly answers.

"Rie" Madge answers.

"Gale" Katniss answers.

"Delly" Rie answers.

"Katniss" Gale answers.

"Madge" Peeta answers.

Caesar thanks them for their time and answers before they get up and return to their seats. As Caesar is giving his speech to end the interviews, Peeta looks over to Cato. He can see that Cato has many questions to ask him. 'It's going to be a long night' he thinks to himself.

After the interviews, the tributes go back to their floors to change and have dinner. The 12 rebel allies were planning to meet an hour after dinner to discuss any questions that the group may have.

Up on the roof, the group realizes that they are ready for the games. They know they need to stick together, to try to find one another in the arena. Basically the plan Lyme had given the four boys the other night. The meeting was over almost as soon as everyone showed up. As they were all heading to the elevator to go back, Peeta feels someone grab his arm. It's Cato. Peeta resigned himself to hear Cato out. When Gale looked back, Peeta just shook his head. Gale gave him the 'we'll talk later' look before the elevator closed. Peeta followed Cato back to the garden.

After sitting on the bench, Cato looks at Peeta. He has a serious expression on his face. Peeta gives him an encouraging smile, wanting Cato to tell him what was bothering him.

"I have something to tell you, and it might piss you off. Please just hear me out." Peeta nods and Cato continues. "I did something that I shouldn't have. It was the night Clove and I met with you. We were getting on the elevator as Finnick O'dair got off. I never got in the elevator. I snuck back and hid around the corner, eavesdropping on your conversation. I know about the two of you. Then when you came to my room the other night, I knew you didn't have a girlfriend. It wasn't even the real question I wanted to ask. But it confirmed to me that you were into guys. Then at the Luau, I was purposely touching you knowing Finnick could see what I was doing. Here's the thing, I like you Peeta. You are not only good looking, strong, and talented, you are trusting, smart, caring, and gentle. Things I'm not, but you make me want to be."

Peeta's not sure what to think. He's angry that Cato intruded on a private moment between him and Finnick. He's also a little happy that Cato likes him that he wants to be like him. But before he can formulate his thoughts into words, Cato speaks again.

"I have one more thing to say. It's about what happened to you when you were 11. When your brother first said he caused you to get hurt, I wanted to get up and pound his face in. I was very angry at him. But then I saw the look on Gale, Katniss, and even your face. You were shocked at what he said. Rie was lying wasn't he?"

Peeta just sits there, the stress of the past couple days catching up to him. Caesar unintentionally brought back the worst day of his life. He doesn't want to discuss that day. He's avoided it for years. And he certainly doesn't want to discuss it with Cato now.

"Peeta, tell me what happened. The truth." Cato demands.

Peeta is now getting angry. "Look Cato. My past is just that – MY PAST! I don't want to talk about it. Not with you, not with anyone!" He stands up to walk away but Cato grabs his wrist. Peeta rips it from Cato's grip. "Get this through your thick skull Cato; I'm not going to talk about this with you. Not now. Not ever. I'm going to leave now. Grab me again and I will not be responsible for what will happen." Peeta stomps off to the elevator leaving Cato on the roof.

Back in his room, Gale is waiting for Peeta. When he sees the anger clearly on the younger boys face he knows it's bad. "Peet, what happened? I've never seen you this angry. What did Cato do?"

"Cato knows about Finn and I. Used it to cause this morning's incident. Then he asked me about Rie's _confession_. He wouldn't take no for an answer. It's my past and I just want to leave it there." Peeta sits on the bed with a huff. "Oh, and he admitted he liked me."

Gale can see the hurt and anger as well as confusion in Peeta's eyes. "He wouldn't take – wait, he likes you? As in like _like_?"

Peeta lies back on his bed. "That's what he said. I yelled at him. Stomped off. I might have hurt our alliance with my actions."

Gale sighs. "I could go talk to him if you want. Make sure the alliance is still intact."

Peeta looks at Gale giving him a small smile. "No. I could see he was as angry at me as I was at him. If he's still up there, I don't want you to exasperate the situation. If I see him in the arena tomorrow, I'll try to fix this. Just please don't tell the others what happened. I don't want them to worry."

Gale nods. "Anything you want Peet. I'm gonna go now. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow Gale."

Gale leaves. Peeta locks his door and gets ready for bed. He lies there for hours thinking about Cato, the rebellion, the games, the Finnick situation, and the possibility of his death. It's very late when he finally goes to sleep.

**Shout-out to catchingfire1714: thanks for your help with this chapter (and chapter 6). You are totally awesome!**


	5. Chapter 5 Bonus - Cato POV

_**The Games We Played**_

**Welcome to Chapter 5. This chapter will encompass the first 4 chapters as seen through Cato's eyes. I call it my "bonus" chapter. I hope you all like it as much as I liked writing it.**

_**Rolyn**_**: I was thrilled to see your review! Yeah, Peeta did get upset quickly. It was for a reason that will actually show up in Chapter 7. I hope that you are okay with that. Peeta is pretty secretive about his past with his mother and what happened when he was 11. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you like seeing the first couple of chapters from Cato's POV. **

_**MangoMagic**_**: Your review made me smile. Thank you for the compliment about my managing so many characters. It's fun for me to try to keep them all involved in the story. I promise that the reason for Peeta's attitude towards Cato will be revealed soon. As for Cato not getting angry, that will be answered here. Enjoy **

_**lincolnlog89**_**: Sadly, I can't say what weapon Peeta will get in the arena just yet. I kind of liked the idea Peeta could use a weapon that Cato would be good with. As for the ninja stars, I just think they're cool. I just wanted him to be well rounded weapon wise. Does that make sense? Peeta noticing Cato's freckles on his nose was definitely a subtle detail that I thought needed to be mentioned. (I think light freckles across the nose are kinda cute.) Getting 12 tributes out is definitely going to be a challenge. I haven't gotten that far yet so I really can't say how it will come out. As for Finny, I almost had Peeta going down to his room the night before going into the arena and getting some heated Finny lovin'. But then Cato got in my head and told me how disappointed he'd be ;) I actually like Peeta with Cato, Finnick, and even Marvel (if done right). **

_**johandasu**_**: I'm so happy you love my story. Your kind words about the character developments and the dynamic elements of the relationships made my day. Poor Finnick just can't help himself where Peeta is concerned and it definitely brought out a side of him that isn't very good. As for the aftermath of Peeta and Cato's interaction, sadly, it will be at least 2 chapters away. And I will definitely keep you in mind if I need anything! Thank you.**

Chapter 5_ - __Bonus Chapter__ – Cato's Thoughts from Reaping thru the Night before Going to the Arena_

Cato Canelos was sitting on the train. It would be leaving soon for the Capitol. He was ready for this. He was going to win the games and then take down the Capitol. He thinks about he got here.

Cato had trained for this his entire life. He was supposed to volunteer last year but the elders decided to wait one more year. He had been angry at first. Now he's glad. More tributes means more kills for him which will bring him greater glory and pride to his district. But those thoughts conflict with his rebel training. When he was 6, his trainer's name was Boggs. But Boggs had quit the academy before Cato's 7th birthday. He told Cato that he would meet him in the woods outside the district to say good bye in one week. Cato almost didn't go. Now, he's glad he did. Boggs had introduced Cato to three people, Holmes, Leeg 1, and Leeg 2. The fourth person there he knew, District 2's newest victor Lyme. They offered to give him a different type of training but it came with rules. One - he couldn't tell anybody. Two – he was training to be part of an army. Three – that army was going to fight the Capitol. Cato agreed, mainly because he wanted the different type of training. When Clove became his training partner 3 years later – she had followed him into the woods and got caught by Holmes - Cato had asked why there weren't others training with them. Holmes explained that due to District 2 being so close to the Capitol and it being the district that trains peacekeepers, it was safer to train less people. Then he said something Cato would never forget, "And no one ever said you were the only ones being trained."

**Eight years later…**

After the reaping, Cato visits with his family. His parents, stiff and formal, tell him to bring pride to the family, to the district. His younger brother Gaius and little sister Cleo give him hugs. They tell him they'll see him after the games as if it's a given conclusion. They leave. Cato isn't expecting any other visitors due to the fact his only friend was going into the games with him. So he is very shocked when Lyme walks in before it's time to head for the train. She walks up to him and hugs him. This is very unusual but Cato lets it happen. She then whispers in his ear, "There are going to be other tributes like you and Clove. Find them. Ally with them. You have sponsors from a long hidden district. See you at the training center." And with that, she left. The peacekeepers came and took him to the train.

The train began to move and brought Cato out of his thoughts. The reapings were about to come on. Clove sat down next to Cato. They were sitting apart from the other tributes. Cato doesn't even remember their names, they're that unimportant to him. He watches as District 1 comes on. Clove pokes him when she sees Glimmer, then again when she sees Marvel. The way they walked to the stage and stood there was unlike the rest. Cato knows that the pokes are to remember those faces. He watches themselves on the stage, noting that their posture is different than their district mates. Rather like Glimmer and Marvel. He watches the other districts, 3 and 4 nothing worth caring. District 5 has a girl who looks sneaky. He pokes Clove this time. Districts 6 through 10 bore him. Other than noting the young ones crying, he puts them out of his mind. District 11 brings him back to what he's supposed to be doing. The large dark skin boy whose physique matches Cato's and the little dark skinned girl who looks like she's walking on her toes catches his attention. Cato reads the names at the bottom of the screen, Thresh and Rue, as Clove pokes him. By the time it comes to district 12, Cato figures they're done. As the poorest district, 12 has some of the weakest tributes ever. 'How they ever had 2 Victors in the history of the games is a miracle' he thinks. He relaxes and closes his eyes, not really wanting to see the weakest be reaped. His eyes shoot open when he hears, "I volunteer as tribute!" He can hear the other four snicker, one saying, "Yeah, volunteering to be slaughtered. That's smart. I could kill her with my eyes closed." The other three laugh. But Cato takes a good look at the girl. She looks strong, like she's been eating enough to be healthy looking. He also notes that her arms have some muscle definition to them. When she stands by the two blondes, he sees that their arms are all similar. He catches the name Katniss. He makes a mental note to watch her carefully. Now the boys are called. An average height, dark blonde haired boy that looks well-toned that goes by the name of Rie. The next is a tall, dark haired, olive skinned boy that also looks toned. Cato wonders where the district had been hiding these kids or what had they been feeding them. Then it happens again, another volunteer! Two volunteers from the same poor district! Cato hears the volunteer tribute say 'well shit' as he walks to the boy he volunteered for, watches him hug the younger boy. Cato's certain that the blonde is whispering to the younger boy. It hits Cato that the younger boy looks like the Gale kid already on stage. 'Why would the blonde volunteer for some little kid that doesn't even look related?' Cato thinks before hearing the blonde, Peeta - the name on the bottom of the screen - say "He is my friend and he's family." Cato is truly confused now. Peeta looks like the other blonde, Rio? No, Rie, but calls the younger dark haired kid family. He watches the people of the district salute the 6 teens on the stage. He thinks about how they're standing on stage. He hears Clove whisper, "They look like we did on stage." Things are certainly interesting for these games.

They arrive at the Capitol. Cato is whisked, along with the other 2 males from his district, to begin getting ready for the opening parade. He is so wrapped in his thought about the 6 from district 12 that he finds himself dressed in a golden gladiator outfit with helmet and fake sword and standing by the District 2 carriage and not remembering how it all happened. He notices Clove next to him and she has a far off look on her face. He wonders if she's thinking about the District 12 kids too. That's when he sees the blonde out of the corner of his eye. It looks like he knows the District 7 mentor Johanna Mason. Now Peeta's hugging and kissing the District 4 Victor Finnick O'dair. Peeta is even more interesting than Cato initially believed. He sees Peeta leaving and finally notices how Peeta's costume molds to his body and shows so much. The smaller boy is way more muscular than Cato had originally thought. Cato finds that he likes it.

Cato is shocked to find he doesn't have time for anything else as he needs to be on the chariot. When his chariot is about three quarters of the way through the route he feels, then sees and hears the change in the crowd. He looks at the jumbo screens that line the route. The district 12 tributes look awesome. The two in front look like glowing coals. The two in the middle are on fire. Wait, on fire? Cato tries to see the male. Oh my! It's Peeta and he's burning! Cato wants to go and put him out. He knows he's screwing up any chances with sponsors but doesn't care. He barely registers that the two in back look like smoke. He only sees Peeta. Clove kicks him and he's able to look away. He stares at Peeta again while the president speaks. Hell, everyone is staring at District 12. He catches Peeta's smile. It was stunning. Once they're back to the underground facility, he looks for Peeta again. He locks eyes with Peeta when he finds him. But then his mentor, Haymitch, pulls them all away. That night, as Cato lay in bed, he tried to think of a way to talk to Peeta without anyone else seeing. He wanted someone like Peeta in his alliance. And maybe something more? That thought shakes Cato to his core. He never thought he'd feel that way, especially going to the games.

The next morning in the training room, he notices that the District 12 tributes are in pairs. None of them go to any weapon stations. They stick to the survival stations through lunch. Clove comes to talk to him about the plan to keep away from the rest of the 'careers' as they heard themselves called by the poorer districts. Marvel and Glimmer join them to see if the four of them can sit together. Clove then gestures over to the survival stations, noting what Cato already noticed. He watches them at lunch. They seem like they are all friends. He can see Peeta talking. He can't make out what they're talking about but the others seem to be listening to him. Cato wonders if he's their leader. If he is, it will be all that much harder for Cato to get him into his own alliance. After lunch, he sees them going to the agility station then the obstacle course. He sees them there for the next two hours. He sees the group by the trainers before they head to the hand-to-hand combat station for the rest of the training session. Cato can see that they're faking that they're beginners. The movements are too well done, too precise for them to be first timers. What are they playing at? Cato wonders. That night he talks to his mentor Lyme privately. She thinks they're hiding something as well and tells Cato to keep watching them. He's to report back to her tomorrow.

The next morning in training he sees they're still in pairs but different couplings. The Fire Boy is with the Girl on Fire today. They're once again in the survival stations. But after lunch there's a change. Two of them go to the archery station and two more go to the knife throwing station. Peeta and the fire girl split up - he goes to the weight training station and she goes back to the edible plant station. Strange. A little later he sees the girl from 12 at the archery station talking to Glimmer. Is the district 12 girl helping her? Why? Then he sees Clove talking to the pair from 12. He's stunned. He turns and sees the Girl on Fire talking to the little girl from 11. Then he hears the loud bangs coming from the weight station. He looks over just in time to see Peeta throwing a weight over his head at the wall. Shit, the boy can throw! It hits the wall. Cato watches as he keeps throwing heavier and heavier weights until he hits 200 lbs.! Cato sees Marvel go to talk to Peeta. When Marvel heads back to the spear station, Cato gives him the 'what are you thinking' look and Marvel returns it with an 'I'm going to figure out what's going on' look. That night, Cato talks to Lyme about his observations – Glimmer talking with one pair of 12, Clove with another pair, The Girl on Fire meeting up with the little girl from 11, and lastly, Peeta throwing weights up to 200lbs. over his head and the dents they left. Lyme tells him to talk to him tomorrow after training and before dinner. At dinner, Clove brought up Peeta's accomplishments. As soon as they were done eating, Brutus dragged Cato to the training room to throw some weights as Peeta had done. Cato could not throw half as far as Peeta.

The next morning when Cato wakes up, he finds himself looking forward to the end of practice and getting to talk to Peeta. In the training center that morning, he watches the group from 12 doing the agility station and obstacle course. He's rather impressed that they spent the entire morning running, climbing, and dodging obstacles with barely breaking a sweat. They had to have some type of training and Cato is determined to get answers. At lunch, he feels a pair of eyes on him. He turns and sees Peeta looking at him with an indiscernible look on his face. Cato can't pull his eyes away from Peeta's blue ones. Unfortunately Peeta looks away when a roll hits him in the head. He watches as Peeta gets up and leaves with the tall dark haired boy. Cato jumps up and follows. He hears a little of their conversation. Something about Peeta hurting someone, a 'him', and 8 days until the arena. He sees the tall boys hand on Peeta's shoulder, comfortingly. Cato's interest is reaching an all-time high. He wants to know this kid personally. Back in the training room, the three boys from 12 are at the weight station and the girls are at the weapons station where they stay until the bell rings to end training.

Cato rushes to the elevator and then to his room for a quick shower before going to see Peeta. He steps out into the District 12 apartment. It's impressive. He sneaks down the hall without getting seen. He sees a storage closet to hide in when he hears someone opening their door. He hopes it isn't Peeta. It's not. He watches, as one by one, the tributes, Haymitch, and the District 12 escort leaves their rooms. Except for Peeta. Cato figured out which room was Peeta's as he hasn't come out yet. Luck is on his side. He goes to the door and knocks. He hears Peeta call for him to come in. He opens the door and catches Peeta putting on some jeans. He hears Peeta say, "Sorry it's taking so long, was enjoying my shower."

Cato smirks, replying "And how exactly _were_ you enjoying your shower, 12?"

Peeta quickly pulls his pants up, "Can I help you 2?"

Cato knows he has to act quickly. He checks the hallway before closing the door. "I think you know why I'm here. You and your friends aren't exactly what I expected. I think you're _more_. Clove and I are going to be on the roof later tonight. I want you, _just_ _you,_ to meet us there. No one else." Cato turns and leaves but not before noticing the look of shock and fear on Peeta's face. Why was he afraid? Cato didn't think he was being very intimidating. He shrugs it off as he sneaks back to the elevator and back to his floor. He goes to tell Lyme that contact was made and then goes to Clove's room to let her in on their trip to the roof later tonight. Clove is thrilled to be included in the meeting. They go to dinner then wait for the other 4 tributes to go to their rooms. After waiting just over an hour, they're able to sneak out and head to the roof. On the way up, Clove bets Cato that Peeta won't be there. They step out the doors. Peeta's already there.

"Hey 12, wasn't sure you'd be here. Guess I owe you $5 Cato." Clove pouts, Cato smirks.

Peeta turned around at the sound of Clove's voice. "So, here I am. What is it you think you know about us 2?"

"You in a hurry 12? Don't you want to talk to us? Get to know us a little?" Clove asks, laughing.

"No, I'm not in a hurry, just tired. Rough morning and I woke early today. Plus, we have training again in the morning."

Cato and Clove sit on either side of Peeta. "Don't really care about your personal problems, _Fire Boy._" Cato says, playing up his persona. He sees Peeta flinch at the nickname. "What we're really interested in is that 'show' you put on with the weights the other day. Even our mentor was impressed when I told him. Said no one's ever done that."

"So, I've heard" comments Peeta dryly.

"Yeah, well, he made Cato there go and try himself. Couldn't even reach half the distance." Clove snickers.

Peeta looks at Cato, eyes wide in shock. Cato laughs at his reaction. "What can I say? It's harder than you made it look. But that's not the reason we're here. It's you and your band of misfits. We _know_ that all of you are better at things than you appear. You guys are holding back. We're just curious as to why."

Cato notices Peeta pause before sighing. "I really don't want to tell you anything without the rest of my friends. We are a team. But _we_ have a feeling about the two of you." He looks at Clove. "Plus, I don't really relish the thought of a knife in my back."

Clove laughs. "It could still happen."

Peeta just shakes his head. He continues before Cato says something. "You're right. We have been holding back." Cato smirks but Peeta continues. "Katniss, Gale, and I are hunters. We sneak through the fence that surrounds our district to get meat for our families. Been doing it since Katniss and I were 11. Gale was 12. Delly, Madge, and Rie joined us a couple years later."

"Oh, a bad boy. I'm impressed!" exclaims Clove.

"Shut it Clove. There's more to his story and I want to hear it." Cato says. He's impressed as well.

Cato hears Peeta sigh as he stands and faces them. "Cato's right. There's more." Cato and Clove are shocked that Peeta just said Cato's name. "We had met someone in the forest. This person told us of a rebellion being planned against the Capitol. This person introduced us to 3 people who trained us to fight. When we were reaped, our training leader told us to be on the lookout for others who have been trained like us. We were told to invite them to join us."

"Right, and have you seen any?" asks Clove.

Peeta looks at her. "Yes, we believe so."

"Who?" asks Cato smugly.

"I don't want to say as I'm not sure if they would want me to tell you."

Cato stands in front of Peeta menacingly. He sees Peeta standing his ground. "And why the hell not? Afraid we'll get them to turn against you?"

"No. First they haven't agreed to join us. We –"

"You've already talked to them?" Clove asks incredulously. "We haven't even been here a full week yet!"

Peeta turns to Clove who is now standing next to Cato. "Yes. Our first meeting was last night. Our other meeting was earlier tonight. We told them what I've told you and let them have time to decide whether or not they want to join us." Cato watches Peeta take a step back, his back against the railing. "We also think you two are like us and were trying to think of a way to get you to meet us. Guess you beat us to the punch. So, my turn to ask some questions. Have you been approached to join the rebellion?"

Cato and Clove share a smirk. "We have. But why would we join you?" asks Cato.

"Sorry, I'm asking the questions now." Peeta says confidently. "Are you going to tell anyone about us?"

"Not if you answer the question." Clove says snidely.

"Fine. If we can get the other specially trained tributes to join us in the arena we can expect further orders from our commander." Peeta says.

"Who's your commander?" demands Cato, getting fed up with Peeta.

"Boggs. He, Jackson, and Mitchell are our trainers."

"Boggs? You know Boggs? He was a trainer at the academy when we were younger. How is he?" asks Clove excitedly.

"He's well. So, do we join forces or what?" Peeta directs his question to Cato.

"I want to know who you've talked to. We don't just want to be teamed up with anyone." replies Cato.

"You're putting me in a corner and I don't appreciate it Cato! Will you at least give me your word that if I tell you, that you won't say anything to them? In return, I will tell you if they decide to join us as soon as we find out."

Cato gives Peeta a look that scares him. "We won't say anything. Now tell us!"

Cato's shocked that Peeta looks relieved. "Last night we met with Glimmer and Marvel from District one and earlier tonight Rue and Thresh from District 11." Clove's face is shocked. Peeta continues. "They admitted to us that they have had training and are deciding on whether or not to join us. If you will answer one more question for me, we can decide where to go from here. Have you guys been trained for the rebellion?"

It's Clove that answers. "Yes. How did you know?"

"It was a feeling Madge had. She observed how you two never really talked with the others from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Well, except for Glimmer and Marvel. Then there's the way you move. Rie noticed that you are always seemed aware of your surroundings, like we are." He turns to Cato. "We really do want you guys to be part of our group in the arena. We were going to talk to you two and let you think about what we were offering."

Cato looks at the younger boy. "We, too, were told to look for others. We just didn't believe there were any. Then you threw those weights. Even if your group wasn't trained, we were going to ask you, Peeta, to join us – just you. But now circumstances changed." He looks at Clove who nods at him before turning back to Peeta. "We're in. _BUT_, we are not going to be all buddy-buddy with you guys in training. We have to keep up appearances."

With that, Cato and Clove leave Peeta alone on the roof. They see Finnick O'dair getting off the elevator as they get in. Cato tells Clove to go on ahead, that he's going to give this information some thought. Clove smirks at him as the elevator doors close. He goes back to the roof and hides around the corner to listen to the two talk. He's shocked to hear that Peeta and Finnick were in a relationship that apparently ended bad. It had to be Finnick that Peeta and the dark haired kid were talking about before. Then it hits Cato. Peeta likes boys. That information gives Cato something new to think about. He hears Finnick tell Peeta to go to bed. He waits until they both leave before heading back to his own room. His last thought before falling asleep was of Peeta's smile.

The next evening before dinner, Cato goes to Lyme and tells her about the meeting the night before. She was stunned that _all_ 6 teens from District 12 were trained rebels and glad that Cato and Clove agreed to ally with them. The news about Rue and Thresh surprised her but Glimmer and Marvel wasn't so much a surprise. Lyme tells Cato that when the alliance is complete, she'll go to the mentors of the other rebels and figure out what to do from there. At dinner, Brutus announces that the night before the interviews, all the districts will be gathered at the stage where the interviews will be held. The President and the game makers have an announcement they want to make to the tributes. Cato and Clove share a worried look. What could the President have to say?

The last day of training, Peeta kept his promise. As he headed to the agility station, he looked at Cato and mouthed that District 11 was in. Cato was a little shocked but glad. Now he was just waiting for word about Glimmer and Marvel. He's not supposed to know that they've talked to 12 but he was getting tired of waiting for them to make a decision.

After dinner, Cato finds himself lying in bed thinking. Tomorrow is the private session with the game makers. He knows he's ready. He's going to show them his sword work, some knife work, and maybe some hand-to-hand. He stands up to get ready for bed. He strips down to his boxers when there's a knock at the door. He goes and opens it. Seeing Peeta standing there shocks him but he quickly recovers and invites him in. As Peeta walks by him, Cato sees the red creeping up his cheeks.

"What can I do for you Peeta?"

Peeta turns and looks at him in the eyes. "I came to tell you that Glimmer and Marvel are in."

Cato raises a brow. "And this couldn't wait until you saw me tomorrow before the private sessions?"

Peeta stutters, "I, uh. Well, um." He takes a deep breath and tries again. "Look, I promised that as soon as I knew they were in I'd tell you. I keep my promises."

Cato smiles. He respects those who keep their word. "Fair enough. I like that in my allies, keeping their word. So, do you have to go back to your floor right away or can you stay and talk for a little while?"

"You want me to stay and talk? Why?" asks Peeta

Cato hears the shock in Peeta's voice. He laughs and gestures to a couch. Peeta leads the way, sitting as far away from Cato as he can. As soon as they're both sitting, Cato answers Peeta's question. "We're going to be working together in the arena soon. Shouldn't we know a little something about each other? Build some trust?"

"I guess so. What do you want to know?" Peeta asks skeptically, looking at his hands folded in his lap.

"Why did you volunteer for that kid?" Cato asks bluntly.

Peeta sighs. "I couldn't let him come and fight against 71 other kids. And as you pointed out, he _is_ a kid." Cato knows he's leaving out something but lets it go. "Why did you volunteer?"

"To bring honor to my family and district." Cato replies as if it was obvious. "How old are you?"

Peeta looks at Cato confused, "17. Why?"

"The others seem to defer to you, like you're the leader. It's why I wanted to talk to just you the other night." Cato shrugs. "Are you the oldest in your group?"

Peeta smiles, "No, Gale and Rie are both 18. The rest of us are 17. And I'm no leader. We work as a team, equals. We listen to each other's opinions and work towards a common goal together." He looks at Cato. "How old are you?"

"I'm 18." Cato pauses. "Uh." He turns to the wall in front of him, trying to find a way to ask Peeta if he's into boys.

"What is it Cato? You can say it. We're trying to build trust here, remember?" asks Peeta.

Cato looks at Peeta, a small smile on his lips. "Do you have a girlfriend?" It wasn't the question he wanted to ask. He really wanted to know if he wanted a _boy_friend. He knew about the boy and Finnick. He heard their conversation.

Peeta chuckles, "Really? '_Do you have a girlfriend_?' That's what you got hung up on?" Cato gives Peeta a sour look. Peeta gets serious. "No. I never had one. I was way too _busy_ living my life. Do you have a girlfriend?" Cato notices the way he sounded disgusted at the idea that he would have a girlfriend. It piques Cato's interest. He wants to learn more about this fellow rebel.

Cato answers the question by shaking his head and saying, "No. I also was too _busy_." He notes that Peeta looks surprised but tries to cover by looking at the alarm clock.

"I better get back to my room. We have a big day tomorrow." Peeta says as he stands and begins to head to the door.

Cato doesn't want him to go yet but knows that they'll have another chance to talk. Instead he speaks gently, "Good night Peeta. I'll see you tomorrow."

Peeta looks back at Cato, responding just as gently, "Good night, Cato." Then he's out the door.

Cato feels like he is missing something with Peeta gone. He likes the little faces Peeta made when he's thinking. He thinks Peeta's laugh is melodic. Cato shakes the feelings off. He needs to be thinking about his private session with the game makers. He gets up off the couch and goes to bed. Peeta was right about one thing, it's going to be a big day.

Cato wakes an hour earlier than normal. While in the shower, he decides that he wants to spend more time with Peeta. He gets out, gets dressed, and goes to the dining room to have breakfast before going to see Peeta. He runs to Clove's room to let her know where he's going and what he's doing. She wishes him luck as he leaves.

When he gets to Peeta's room, he knocks but got no answer. So, not wanting to be seen, he goes in. He walks over to Peeta's bed as the bathroom door is thrown open. He turns to see Peeta wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Cato realizes Peeta has a rockin' hot body! He also sees the shock on Peeta's face.

"What are you doing here Cato?" Peeta asks.

"I just wanted to come by and ask if you wanted to train together this morning before the private sessions." Cato replies nonchalantly, hoping Peeta will agree.

"Sure. I can do that. What kind of training do you want to do?" Peeta asks getting his clothes together.

"I was thinking maybe the weight station and the hand-to-hand. Is that okay with you?" Cato asks, turning his back to Peeta, allowing him some privacy to get dressed.

"Sounds good." Peeta says. Cato can hear him putting on his clothes. "Have you already eaten? Because I can just grab a roll and a piece of fruit to eat on the way down."

"Yeah, I ate before coming up. I can wait downstairs for you to eat. I didn't mean to interrupt your morning." Cato says sounding apologetic.

"You didn't interrupt and I'll go down with you. Let's go." Peeta says. His touch on Cato's arm makes him jump. "Sorry." Peeta says.

Cato just smiles at Peeta. "Lead the way, Peeta."

The two walk to the dining room in a comfortable silence. There's no one there. Peeta grabs a biscuit, an orange, and a bottle of water. He turns to Cato, "Ready?"

"Yep. Let's go."

Cato watches as Peeta eats quickly as they ride the elevator down to the training room. Cato and Peeta go to the weight station. They stretch before they start with squats. They're on the third set of reps before the other tributes start showing up. They head to the hand-to-hand station where they wrestle and practice mock fighting with various martial arts moves. Cato is impressed with Peeta's control with his kicks and jabs. About an hour before lunch, he sees the peacekeepers talking to the tributes about their private sessions. Cato gives his instructions at the same time as Peeta. When they've finished, they head to the lunch room. Cato sits by Clove. He watches Peeta with his friends. He really wishes he was over there. He likes being in Peeta's presence. He knows he shouldn't, that he should be the brute everyone thought him to be. After eating, he heads to the benches and waits for his turn to be called. He's ready for this. It's what he spent his time in the academy for.

When it's finally his turn to go in, he takes a last look at Peeta. He smiles and is rewarded with a smile back. He goes in. He walks to the center of the room next to a table that has two swords, some knives, a couple axes, and a mace. With a loud clear voice he looks up to the game makers and says, "Cato Canelos, District 2 tribute." He starts with the knives, throwing with deadly accuracy on the dummies. He then throws the axes, again with deadly precision. He picks up the swords. As he walks to a fresh set of dummies, he's spinning and twirling the swords around him. He's spinning them fast enough that when the first body part comes off he could see one of the Avox's against the back wall jump. He can see the impressed faces of the game makers from the corner of his eye. One wouldn't think that a boy of size and stature could move so gracefully. He throws the swords into a dummy and picks up the mace. He is swinging it with such force that the heads of the dummies fly right off. Seneca thanks him and he heads back to his room.

After having dinner, Cato decides to go to the roof and relax. When he steps into the elevator, he sees Peeta. And he looks upset.

"It wasn't that bad, was it Peeta?" Cato asked worriedly.

Peeta grimaced, "I think I did well, but –"

"But what?"

"I did something really stupid. GAH!" Cato watches Peeta run his hands through his hair. He looks at Cato. "I shot a flaming arrow at the game makers. I mean, it hit the wall behind them but still." He looks away ashamed.

Cato turns him around and put his hands on his shoulders. "Let's go to the roof and you can tell me the whole story, okay?"

Cato pushes the button for the roof as the doors open to the 12th floor. He hears Peeta breathe a sigh of relief as the doors close again. Once on the roof, they head over to the bench in the garden and sit down. Peeta puts his elbows on his knees and laces his fingers in his hair. Cato lets him have the time he needs to gather his thoughts. He doesn't jump when Peeta finally speaks.

"I was ready to go, the table was sitting there with everything I asked for. I looked up at the game makers and did my introduction but none of them even looked at me. So I ran to the fire station and lit a fire. I ran back, grabbed the bow and an arrow which I dipped in some paint. Then I lit the tip of the arrow. I shot it high up on the wall behind the game makers. Once I had their attention, I did my stuff – threw some knives and stars, shot some moving targets, then threw some weights, and ended cutting some dummies with a Katana. Seneca Crane thanked me and I got into the elevator. Now here we are." Peeta says.

Cato is impressed. He reached over and grabs Peeta's hand. "I think that had I been in your shoes, I would've done the same thing. They're there to watch you." Cato pauses, thinking. "What were they doing when you shot at them anyway?"

He's rewarded with one of Peeta smiles. "There was a roasted pig on a table that most of the game makers were picking at. And some were drinking and singing. Seneca Crane was just standing there looking pleased with himself."

Cato can feel Peeta staring at him. He likes how it makes him feel. He's surprised when Peeta speaks.

"How did you know I was in the elevator?" Peeta asks.

"I didn't. I was actually on my way here. I just wanted to clear my head. You being on the elevator was a nice surprise. I'm just sorry that you had a rough session."

He sees Peeta blush and look down. "Thank you Cato."

Cato puts a finger under Peeta's chin and turns his face towards his own. "You're welcome Peeta" he says softly before leaning in and giving him a quick, soft kiss. He hadn't planned on kissing Peeta yet but took a chance.

Peeta is looking at Cato with eyes wide. Cato worries he shouldn't have kissed him. Neither boy moved, looking at each other in the eyes. Cato notices little silver-gray specks in Peeta's beautiful blue eyes and his impossibly long blonde eyelashes. He stares until he hears someone walking towards them. Cato pulls his hand away and sits up as Katniss walks up.

"Peeta! Here you are. Everyone is looking for you." She looks at Cato. "Oh, hey Cato."

"Hi Katniss." Cato replies. He listens as Katniss and Peeta talk.

"So Peeta, how come you're up here? Haymitch wanted to talk to you about your session."

"Tell Haymitch I'll be down soon please. I just need a few more minutes." Peeta says.

"Sure thing Peeta. Good night Cato." She turns and leaves the two boy alone again.

Peeta and Cato just sit there, neither talking. Cato's still worried that it was too soon to kiss Peeta. Suddenly, he stands up and says "We better get you back to your floor before someone else comes for you." He holds out his hand. Peeta looks up and takes the offered hand. Cato helps him to stand. He doesn't let go of Peeta's hand until they get to his floor. He notes Peeta's hands are soft, yet strong. As Peeta gets out Cato says "I'll see you in the morning."

"Meet me here at 8." Peeta tells him before the doors shut. Cato pushes the button for his floor, a smile on his lips. He can't help thinking about spending more time with Peeta.

The next morning he heads up to get Peeta. Peeta's waiting when the doors open. They both say 'Good morning' at the same time and laugh. Cato asks Peeta to shoot some arrows before anyone else shows up. He applauds each Bullseye. They head over to the obstacle course and run it twice when Clove comes over and wants to run it with Peeta. From there they run the stamina course with the other tributes from 12. Cato is paired with Katniss. He's surprised when she asks, "What's going on with you and Peeta?" Cato can hear the hint of worry in her voice.

"We're just talking, getting to know each other as allies, nothing more." He replies, seeing Peeta shaking his head from the corner of his eye. Katniss seems to accept his answer and they're soon taking their turn on the course. The group heads to lift weights when Glimmer and Marvel join them. Soon it's time for lunch. Clove and Cato head to their floor.

After lunch, Cato goes to his room to think. Lyme told him he was ready for his interview and to just enjoy his chance to relax for the time being. He sits on his bed, leaning against the headboard. His thoughts are of Peeta. The younger boy intrigues him. He thinks about earlier that day. Cato doesn't understand why Katniss sounded worried or why Peeta shook his head. He wonders if it has anything to do with that Finnick guy. The more he thinks about it, the more he's sure of it. He had listened in on a private conversation between the two. Could that be the reason Peeta didn't want him to answer that Katniss chick's question? Did she know about Cato kissing Peeta? Getting frustrated with his thoughts, Cato gets off his bed and starts doing push-ups. He doesn't like to just sit around. He's in the middle of doing sit-ups when Clove comes in.

"Hey Muscle Man, dinner is in 15 minutes. You may want to get a shower. You stink."

Cato stands up, pulling his sweat covered shirt off. He throws it at her as he walks to the bathroom. "It smells of my victory." He says laughing at her as it hits her.

"Eww, that's disgusting you pig!" Clove screams at him. "Just make sure your there lil' piggy, *snort, snort*. And remember, paybacks are a bitch." She stomps out, slamming the door.

After dinner, Cato sits between Clove and Lyme on the couch to watch the scores. He doesn't really care about everyone's scores, only those that he's teaming up with. He's glad to see Marvel and Glimmer got 9's. When Clove saw her 10, she turned to Cato and said, "Top that, hot shot!" Moments later when his 11 popped up, he turned to her and said, "Just did squirt!" He watched her pout. He tuned out until he heard her whisper "District 11". He saw little Rue's 8 and Thresh's 10. Then it was District 12's turn. Cato worried about Peeta's score. He knew what Peeta did but feared the game makers would retaliate. He saw Delly get a 9, Madge an 8, Katniss a 10 (that surprised him), Rie an 8, and Gale a 9. Then it showed Peeta's face. Below it flashed an 11! Cato was thrilled for Peeta. He looked over to the other 4 tributes from his district and saw them scowling. He really hoped that none of them would be near Peeta in the arena. They'd go after him for sure. Lyme stood up and motioned for Cato and Clove to join her saying that they were going to work on their strategy. They got into the elevator, joining Cashmere, Gloss, Marvel, and Glimmer. They stopped again on 11 picking up Chaff, Seeder, Thresh, and Rue before getting off on 12. Cato was not happy to see Finnick there. He joined the other teens while the mentors went to the roof to talk. When they came back, Lyme asked Cato, Marvel, Thresh, and Peeta to join her on the roof.

When they reached the garden she said, "This is the plan. Once the entire group of 12 of you are together, you will be receiving your first sponsor gift from 13. You will be given a clue as to when the rescue will happen. The plan is to get the 12 of you out of the arena. I can't give you any more than that. Even I do not know how it will happen. Before you ask as to why the four of you were picked, the other mentors and I felt that a male from each district should know what's going on in the event something should happen. Peeta, as you had the highest score for you district, you were chosen." Cato looked at Peeta who looked shocked. "That, plus Haymitch, Finnick, and Johanna's recommendations. They gave you very high praises – saying how you overcame a painful childhood and one of the strongest people they know. I personally don't think they meant just physically." Peeta face would put a tomato to shame. Cato noticed Marvel and Thresh looking at Peeta too. Peeta shakes his head, letting them know now was not the time. Lyme continues, "So, you four have your orders. Gather the group, keep them safe, and wait for your rescue clue. Got it?" The four boys nod. "Good, let's head back now."

Cato makes sure to stay right behind Peeta when they get back. He really wanted to know what happened to Peeta as a child. He felt an overwhelming need to protect him, not that Peeta couldn't take care of himself. He looks up and sees Finnick scowling at him. He leans close to Peeta's ear and whispers "I don't think he likes me being this close to you" before going over to talk to Clove. He watches Peeta and Finnick go to talk in private scowling. He catches Peeta's eye roll and smirks. He watches Peeta come back from his talk with Finnick and sit on the couch. He fights the urge to go over and wrap his arms around him. He sees Gale and Katniss talking to him. They get up and wish everyone a good night. Lyme comes over and tells him and Clove it's time to go. He sees Peeta get up and join the rest of his team to say good night. Cato catches Peeta's eye and mouths "Roof, hour". Peeta nods tiredly. Cato knows it's going to have to be a quick meeting.

Back on his floor, he says good night to Lyme and Clove. He waits 15 minutes before sneaking to the roof. He starts to think about the plan to gather everyone. With 71 other tributes, it will be a difficult challenge.

Cato is deep in thought when he hears Peeta say hi.

"Hey, you came. I wasn't sure you would because you looked a little tired."

"I was curious." Peeta shrugs at him.

"It's about the plan. I can't stop thinking about it. I highly doubt that the twelve of us are going to be by each other. There are 60 other tributes to separate us."

He watches Peeta think about this. "I think that's why they have the four of us being the leaders, to make sure we gather everyone together."

"I understand that." Cato says, frustration lacing his voice. "But what if –"

Peeta cuts him off, "Maybe we should let Rie and Gale in on the plan. That would be six of us to gather everyone."

Cato considers what Peeta said. It would be helpful to let them in on the plan. "That could work. I mean we have no idea what to expect in the arena and it could help." He relaxes a little. "I wonder what the president and the game makers are going to tell us tomorrow." he continues.

"Most likely some crazy twist. There's never been this many tributes before. I bet it's something to ensure a bloodbath that's never been seen before." Peeta's voice changes. "Are we going to go to the cornucopia? To get weapons?" Cato thinks he sounds worried.

"I think we should. But with more tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 I just don't know. You can be sure that they'll come after Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, and me. We were supposed to be part of the group. Not that I ever wanted to team up with any of them."

They sit there, deep in their own thoughts. Cato wants to ask him about Lyme's comment about Peeta's past when he sees him yawn.

"You're tired Peeta. I should've never asked you up here. You should go to bed."

Peeta stands but Cato stays where he is. "Aren't you coming?"

"No. I have too much going on in my head. You go on ahead. I'll see you tomorrow." Cato looks up at Peeta. "Good night."

"Don't stay up here too much longer. You should get some sleep too. Good night Cato." Peeta turns and leaves.

As Cato gets ready to go, Clove shows up. "Hey Muscles, why are you up here so late?"

"Hey Clover, just thinking about things. Specifically, going into the arena. It seemed so much easier to think that we'd just have to worry about the two of us getting out. Now we have 10 more people. Tell me you think that we'll all get rescued."

He hears Clove sigh. "I can't Cato. I have the same worries. But I truly want to believe it. I'm really worried about little Rue. She's so tiny and young. She should never have been reaped. She should have had someone like Katniss or even Peeta to stand up for her."

"Someone like Peeta? A guy can't volunteer for a girl Clove."

"No shit Sherlock! I meant that Peeta volunteered for that young boy who wasn't his family. Someone should've done that for Rue."

"Wow. The Ice Queen has feelings. I like this side of you." Cato says gently.

"Well, don't get used to it. And if you tell anyone, I'll gut you myself."

Cato raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I won't. I promise."

"Thanks. So, what's going on with you and Bread Boy?"

"Bread Boy?"

Clove rolls her eyes. "His name is Peeta, like the bread. Hence the name, Bread Boy."

Cato shakes his head and stares off into the distance. "I think I like him. He's kind and strong, gentle, caring, talented, and good looking. He makes me want to be a better person. Geez, I sound like a love sick teenage girl."

Clove snickers, "Well, you certainly don't look like one, Muscles. Have you told him yet?"

"No. I don't think he's ready to hear it."

"Why do you say that?" Clove asks, curiosity lacing her voice.

Cato looks her in the eye, "What I'm about to tell you never leaves here, got it?" She nods and he continues. "The night we talked to Peeta and we saw Finnick get off the elevator, I stayed behind. I eavesdropped on their conversation. I found out they were together at one time. When they broke up, it apparently hurt Peeta really bad. Now, I think Finnick wants Peeta back."

"Do you think Peeta wants Finnick back?"

Cato looks at her with eyes filled with sadness. "I honestly don't know."

"Well, until you do, I say let the boy know you're interested. Show him, tell him. Just go for it. Now if we're done with all this mushy crap, let's go to bed."

They get up and head to their floor, saying good night when they reach their respective doors.

Cato is not happy. He does not understand why he has to wear flowers around his ankles. It's bad enough to have them on his head. Lyme makes him stand in front of a full length mirror. When he sees the full outfit, he can't help but think he looks great. The red board shorts sit just low enough to see his entire abs clearly. He's ready to go, anxious to see how well Peeta looks. Wait, did he really just think that?

Clove finally comes out wearing an off the shoulder, red dress with white hibiscus flowers. It has an elastic waist and hangs to her knees. She looks very girlish, which Cato has never seen before. He's about to compliment her when she threatens him, "One word and your new name will be Dickless." He backs away and they head down.

Cato, in a rush to see Peeta, practically run out to the Luau. He spots the younger blonde with their other allies. Their eyes meet and Cato can see the way Peeta is looking at him lustfully. Maybe there is a chance for them. Before anything can be said to the new arrivals, the music stops and on the stage stands Seneca Crane.

"Welcome everyone! The festivities will start again in a moment. I have a couple things to say first. We have a special surprise for the tributes, a contest really, to take place after dinner. You will be paired up and compete in a competition. The winning pair will receive something that will help them in the arena. For now, continue to mingle amongst yourselves. Our special guests will be here in about 30 minutes. Thank you."

The group turns and looks at each other. Rie speaks first. "That was weird. I wonder what this contest will be."

"Probably something physical," Clove replies. "You know, like a relay race of some sort."

"It could be mentally challenging." pipes Rue smiling. "Some sort of brain teaser."

"Only you would like that pip squeak." Laughs Thresh.

"I just hope I get one of you as my partner," says Glimmer. "I don't really don't care who." Peeta sees her looking at Rie and Gale and shakes his head.

Changing the subject, Peeta turns to Clove and Cato. "So nice of you to join us tonight. How come you guys were so late? We're usually the ones that show up late." He says pointing at his friends and himself.

Clove turns red as Cato replies. "Clover refused to wear the swim suit outfit. She finally compromised with that dress."

"Yeah, whatever. Like you weren't complaining when they put those 'damn flowers' around your ankles." Clove snickered. "Geez, you were acting like a big baby." Everyone laughs except Cato who scowls. But it turns to a smile when Peeta winks at him.

Just then Seneca was back on the stage. "Our special guests are here. Please welcome your generous dinner sponsors." Walking on the stage were 10 of the most outrageously dressed Capitol citizens Peeta had ever seen. After the applause died down, Seneca continued. "These sponsors will be joining you at your tables to dine with you. Please take a seat and dinner will be served shortly. Thank you."

Clove manages to maneuver Cato to sit next to Peeta. He gives her a small smile to let her know he appreciates what she did. He can see Finnick from this point of view. He decides that when the time is right, Pretty Boy is going to learn he definitely has competition. His thoughts are interrupted by a woman who sits across from Peeta. She looks like a cat, whiskers and all. "Hello," she purrs. "My name is Tigris." Every 'S' sounding like a hiss.

"Hello. I'm Peeta. These are Clove, Cato, Delly, and Marvel." He says, pointing to the four closest to him.

"Ah, Peeta and Cato. The two highest scorers. How lucky for me to be at the same table as you. Tell me, how did you two manage to do that?"

"We can only tell you to watch us very carefully in the arena. It will amaze you." Cato replies, feeling Peeta's eyes on him.

Tigris's cat eyes twinkle, "Keeping it a secret huh? Very clever young man. I will definitely be watching the two of you." She points at them with her claw like fingers.

Avox's come to the table bringing dishes of roasted pig, Teriyaki Beef and Chicken, Shoyu Chicken, Huli Huli Chicken, Baked Mahi-Mahi, Lau Lau, Chicken Long Rice, Hawaiiain Poi, Lomilomi salmon, potato salad, Squid luau, Baked sweet potato, Taro rolls, tossed greens, Spinach salad, Pineapple chunks, papaya slices, watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, mangos, bananas, apples, and coconuts. While eating, the talking continues with Tigris asking the five tributes across from her questions about their districts. After dinner, the group of 12 tributes talked to the other 9 sponsors as they switched seats. Sometime while they were talking to the 5th or 6th sponsor, Cato had placed his arm on the back of Peeta's chair. Every once in a while Cato would take his thumb and rub it on Peeta's shoulder or back of his arm.

Soon, Seneca got up on stage and directed the kids to go to the training room. When they got there, they could see that it was changed from yesterday. All the weapons had been removed and survival stations cleared out. There was an obstacle course set up, but it was unlike the one that had been there earlier. This one looked like there were puzzle like games in between certain obstacles. Seneca explained that 6 pairs would run at a time. Six different races will run, winners of each race will compete in the final race to determine the winners.

Seneca began calling out tribute pairs. Peeta ended up with the red haired girl whose name was Camille. Cato was paired with a girl from 7. Clove was paired with a tall, skinny boy from 8. Cato and the girl from 7, her didn't bother to learn her name, came in second in their round behind Rue and the boy from 4 Peeta and Camille, Rue and the boy from 4, and Rie and the girl from three made it to the final round; they were up against a boy from 2 and a girl from 10, a girl from 1 and a boy from 6, and a boy from 4 and a girl from 9. When the final race started, Peeta and Camille were in the lead. Cato was cheering for Peeta and the red head girl, but they lost to Rue and her partner from 4. Seneca congratulated the pair and told them they'd get their prize before they entered the arena. He then sent the tributes to their floors.

The next day was a blur for Cato. He was ready to do his own interview and get into the arena. He doesn't even remember any of the interviews. All he could think about was going to the roof and hoping that Peeta would show up. He even contemplated sending a note through an Avox to meet him. He waited for 2 hours but no one showed. He almost went to Peeta's floor but decided against it. Tomorrow night he would confess everything and hope that Peeta would reciprocate his feelings.

Cato wakes up looking forward to seeing Peeta, wanting to see his beautiful smile. It's an unusual feeling for him. He has never felt like this before. Even his last relationship never felt like this. If it could even be considered a relationship. It was more like a way to relieve the stress and tension of his dual trainings.

All too soon, he finds himself ready for his interview. He's wearing black slacks, a silky looking dark blue button down shirt sleeves rolled up, and a black and dark blue striped tie. Cato thinks the shirt makes his muscles look magnificent and his eyes even brighter. He was supposed to wear a jacket, but his stylist didn't like the look as much. Clove even looks good in a black low cut V-neck cocktail dress. The asymmetrical skirt length is mid-thigh on left, knee length on right. It has a small diamond beading band around her ribs under her chest with a slightly larger jewel in the middle. Her black hair is pulled from her face with four French braids to the back of her head, where it then falls in soft curls to the middle of her back. they head down for their interviews.

In the waiting area, Cato sees him. Peeta is wearing black slacks, red dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a sunset orange vest, and black tie. His vest has flames glowing on it. Cato thinks Peeta looks great and was headed over to tell him when they're all called to the stage. Within minutes, the group from 2 is called to the stage by Caesar being questioned. Cato saunters over to his seat, giving Peeta a wink before sitting.

"Clove, we saw you volunteer. Did you volunteer for someone as did fellow tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark?"

""Nah, I just volunteered for nothing. Ya know, for kicks and giggles. Seriously though, I volunteered because I want to win, DUH!" Clove says with a smirk.

"Cato, are you prepared for these games?"

"There are no other tributes that are as prepared and more brutal than I."

"Not even Peeta Mellark who happened to score an 11 like you?"

Cato knew he had to keep up appearances. "No, not even him." It was a lie. If anyone was as good as Cato, it would most definitely be Peeta.

"So Clove, would you care to tell us about your specialty weapon?"

"Yes Caesar, My weapon of choice is the knife. I have about 400 of them."

"Whoa there Clove, you think you have enough?"

"I'm adding new ones all the time. But if one doesn't watch out, I might just lose one." Smirks Clove.

"Cato, you're a very handsome young man. Is there anyone waiting for you back home?"

Cato hopes Peeta is listening. "No. There's no one at home waiting for me."

The interview is over and Cato goes back to his seat. He looks over at Peeta. He sees that Peeta seems to be distracted. Cato figures Peeta must be worried about the interview. He sits up a little straighter when District 12 is called. He sees Gale get Peeta's attention to go up. Cato hopes to learn a little more about Peeta. He learns more than he thought he would.

"Rie, Peeta is your younger brother. How does it feel knowing that you're going up against a family member?"

Cato watches Rie look at Peeta, "For many years, our relationship was non-existent. We only recently began to talk and trust one another. I wish he wasn't here with me. But, I will protect him with my life for as long as I can. And I know without a doubt he will do the same."

"Gale, your brother Rory was reaped and Peeta volunteered to take his place. How did that make you feel?"

"When I first heard Rory's name called, I was scared for him. I didn't want to have to see him possibly die. Then Peeta volunteered to take his place. I was relieved at first, then sad. Peeta has been my best friend and brother for 6 years. I didn't want him here either." Cato thinks he now knows how close Gale is to Peeta.

"Peeta, you are the second volunteer from District 12. When asked about the young boy you volunteered for, you called him your 'friend and brother'. Would you elaborate on that?"

Cato watches as an unknown emotion flashes over Peeta's face that he covers immediately. "I met Rory when I was 11 after an unfortunate accident that allowed me to meet Gale and Katniss whom I became friends with. Gale, Katniss, and I became inseparable, spending all our free time together which allowed me to get to know Rory. He became like a brother to me as did Gale while Katniss became like a sister."

"Very interesting. Gale, Katniss would either of you care to expand on how you met Peeta?"

Cato watches Katniss and Gale share a look before they turn to Peeta. Cato knows something is up. But he's just as shocked when he hears Rie's voice. "Peeta and I were arguing as we always did. It got physical and I pushed Peeta down some stairs. Katniss's mother is a healer. I couldn't carry Peeta by myself and saw Gale walking by our house. I got him to help get my brother help. It took many years for Peeta and I to work past what happened and now we're closer, friends even."

Cato is seething inside. He wants to get up and bash Rie's face. Then he catches Peeta smiling over at Rie. It confuses Cato. His brother admitted to hurting him on live television and Peeta smiles at him? Peeta has a better soul than Cato imagined.

"Peeta, you got the highest score for your district, the same as score as Cato. Would you care tell us how you did that?"

Cato watches as Peeta's eyes flicker over to him before looking at Caesar. "I think you and the wonderful people of Panem will just have to wait and see Caesar." Cato realizes it's similar to the answer he gave to Tigris at the Luau the other night.

"One last question for all six of you. I think all of Panem saw the pain in your eyes because of the effects of the reapings – two of you ended up volunteering – of you all as tributes. It's obvious to all of Panem that the six of you are all very close. Discounting the scores from the game makers, who in your group of tributes from District 12 do you, think has the best chance of winning the Hunger Games?"

"Peeta" Delly answers. "Rie" Madge answers. "Gale" Katniss answers. "Delly" Rie answers. "Katniss" Gale answers. "Madge" Peeta answers.

It was the last question that made Cato want to laugh. From their answers, he knew that they thought they'd be asked this question and planned their answers.

Show over, Cato joins his fellow tributes off the stage and back to their floor. He throws on a pair of gray sweat pants and a muscle hugging, white V-neck t-shirt. He goes out to the dining room to eat dinner. He asks Clove to join him on a walk, both knowing its code for the meeting on the roof.

Up on the roof, the group realizes that they're ready for the games. They know they just need to stick together, to try to find one another in the arena. The meeting was over almost as soon as everyone showed up. As they were all heading to the elevator to go back, Cato grabs Peeta's arm. Peeta seems to resign himself to hear Cato out. Peeta follows Cato back to the garden.

After sitting on the bench, Cato looks at Peeta. He has a serious expression on his face. Peeta gives him an encouraging smile. "I have something to tell you, and it might piss you off. Please just hear me out." Peeta nods and Cato continues. "I did something that I shouldn't have. It was the night Clove and I met with you. We were getting on the elevator as Finnick O'dair got off. I never got in the elevator. I snuck back and hid around the corner, eavesdropping on your conversation. I know about the two of you. Then when you came to my room the other night, I knew you didn't have a girlfriend. It wasn't even the real question I wanted to ask. But it confirmed to me that you were into guys. Then at the Luau, I was purposely touching you knowing Finnick could see what I was doing." Now for the real reason he wanted to talk to Peeta. "Here's the thing, I like you Peeta. You are not only good looking, strong, and talented, you are trusting, smart, caring, and gentle. Things I'm not, but you make me want to be."

Cato could see the anger and then happiness flash across Peeta's face. Cato then decides to take the chance and get the answers to Peeta's past. He knows there's a large probability that Peeta won't tell him, but he can't help himself.

"I have one more thing to say. It's about what happened to you when you were 11. When your brother first said he caused you to get hurt, I wanted to get up and pound his face in. I was very angry at him. But then I saw the look on Gale, Katniss, and even your face. You were shocked at what he said. Rie was lying wasn't he?"

Peeta just sits there. Cato is losing patience with Peeta. Why won't he answer? What could have happened that Peeta refuses to talk about it?

"Peeta, tell me what happened. The truth." Cato demands. He stops himself from getting truly angry. He doesn't want to physically hurt Peeta. Especially if anything Rie said in the interview was true.

Cato can see that Peeta is now angry. "Look Cato. My past is just that – MY PAST! I don't want to talk about it. Not with you, not with anyone!" He stands up to walk away but Cato grabs his wrist. He wants to apologize but Peeta rips it from Cato's grip. "Get this through your thick skull Cato; I'm not going to talk about this with you. Not now. Not ever. I'm going to leave now. Grab me again and I will not be responsible for what will happen." Peeta stomps off to the elevator leaving Cato on the roof. An apology frozen on his lips.

Cato sits there stunned. He just pissed off Peeta. He just had to push him. Not just push him, practically shove him. Now he feels like an idiot. Oh crap! The alliance! Did he just mess that up? Lyme and Clove are going to be pissed. Maybe he'll get the chance to apologize tomorrow…

Cato nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up and is shocked to see Gale standing there.

"Sorry. I called your name a couple times but you must not have heard me." Gale says. "I came up to make sure the alliance is still on. Peeta was afraid that you would want to end it."

"It is if you still want it to be. Is he okay? I didn't mean to upset him so bad." Cato says with sadness and remorse.

Gale sits down by Cato. "I'm not going to go all ballistic on you even though I should. Seems you're doing a good enough job yourself. But there are some things you need to know if you truly like Peeta. Can you just listen and not interrupt?" Cato nods in agreement. Gale continues, "He had it rough when he was younger. His home life wasn't 'ideal'. He was 11 when he came to live with me and my family. He doesn't like to talk about his life before living with my family, not even with me. And I won't give you details, it's not my place. You understand?"

"I'm beginning to." Cato looks at his hands as he asks, "Why are you telling me all this? Why are you helping me?"

Gale smiles, "Peet may be a private person, but I knew he was lying when he would say there was nothing going on between the two of you. He had the same look in his eyes as he did when he first started being with Finnick. He likes you. He's fighting it, but it's true." Gale sighs. "Finnick hurt Peet really bad when he ended things. It was, _still is_, hard for him to be around Finnick. Your little stunt at the Luau didn't help. Delly told the rest of us that you were touching Peeta. Finnick saw it too. Stirred up a tracker jacker nest with that stunt." Gale pauses.

Cato hangs his head in shame. "I'm truly sorry for that."

"But I want him to be happy. We all want him to be happy. And since the two of you started spending time together, he smiles more. I think you could be good for him."

Gale stands up to leave. "One last thing. In the arena, don't run to him. Let him come to you. If you like him the way I think, you will listen to what I said and follow my advice. Don't screw up this chance Cato. Oh, and I was never up here." With that he left.

Cato watched Gale leave. He can't figure out why Gale was helping him but he didn't care. He was going to follow every instruction Gale gave him. He was smiling as he went back to his room. Gale gave him a gift, something he never really truly had before.

Gale gave him hope.

**Well, there it is. Cato's thoughts and feelings and some surprising help from Gale! I hope that you liked it. And if it was bad, please let me know. I truly do appreciate any and all feedback. Special thank you to catchingfire1714. You know what you did ;)**

**Also, chapter 6 should be up by Sunday, fingers crossed.**


	6. Chapter 6 THe Arena

_**The Games We Played**_

**Welcome to chapter 6. In this chapter, you will learn about the arena. But from the mentor's pov's. I want to apologize now as this is a shorter chapter than my last 3. **

_**Rolyn:**_** I almost didn't add the last part with Gale but he is Peeta's best friend and I wanted to show that. My original ending had Cato on the roof before Gale came out. I also had an alternate ending in which Finnick went up to the roof hoping to see Peeta and running into Cato instead. But I didn't like where it would take Cato and the way he was with Peeta. I hope this chapter explains the arena well. I have it all drawn up, but hope my descriptions do it justice.**

_**MangoMagic**_**: I find myself looking forward to your reviews. They help me immensely. The whole Cato/Gale interaction almost wasn't. At first it was just going to end with Cato alone on the roof. Then I thought to have Finnick go up and pick a fight with Cato. But I realized Gale had talked to Peeta and it went from there. Oh, in chapter 7 we will learn a secret from Peeta's past as well as a possible Cato/Peeta reunion…**

_**johandasu**_**: I don't think anyone has ever used 'awesome' to describe a chapter I've written before. And to say it's a favorite really made my day! As for how long it will be, I can't really say. I have 13 chapters outlined right now but I know that there is more than that. Due to helping my brother out by babysitting while my mother recovered from knee surgery, I haven't had a chance to flesh out more. Tuesday is the last day I will have my 4 year old nephew. If I can get to 20 chapters, I think I'd be very happy.**

_**lincolnlog89**_**: Gale meeting Cato was a shock to me too lol! I was just going to leave Cato alone, and then I had Finnick going up, finding Cato, and fighting. But it hit me how much better it would be to have my Gale go up. My original idea didn't have a Cato POV. I'm glad it has been so well liked **** As for the whole 'It smells of my victory', even tough guys can have a sense of humor.**

Chapter 6 – The Arena

Haymitch stepped through the sliding glass door into the mentor room. He just took his six tributes to the hovercraft that would take them to the arena. He really wanted a drink. He had done really well since the night before the reaping when he promised the kids he wouldn't touch a drop until after the reaping. Since that day, he's had maybe a drink or two a day. As soon as all of them were taken to be in the games, he made the decision to stay sober enough to help get them out of the arena and deliver them to District 13.

He walks over to the cubicle designated for district 12 and sat down. He looks at the new console and notices that the two screens from last year had been removed and six new ones are there, one for each tribute. He begins turning them on. Effie joins him and turns on the large jumbo screen on the wall behind the console. Neither speaks as they turn on the equipment to send parachutes and the computer that tracks the sponsor donations. As he leans back in his chair, he hears Effie say "Oh shit!" He's never heard her cuss. He looks over at her to see her looking up at the jumbo screen. He looks up and repeats what she just said. He knew the arena was going to be much larger than in the past, but what he sees is gigantic and downright scary. Behind him, he can hear other mentors commenting on the arena. They're just as shocked as he and Effie.

In the center of the arena is the cornucopia. The cornucopia was sitting on a small island in the center of a lake. There were 4 bridges going from the edge of the lake to the cornucopia's island. Two run north and south and two run east to west. They appear to be made of steel - steel planks and steel cables. Each bridge is about 110 meters long. The beach that circles the lake is 60 meters deep. There is a jungle that is half a mile wide going around the beach. But it's what's behind the jungle that shocks the mentors the most. There are 12 different types of 'zones'. Each one is different and is about 2 miles long. The 12 zones are:

A Mountain Range

Winter Tundra

A Ruined 21st Century City

Rain Forest

Underground Caves and Tunnels

An African Savannah

Volcanos

Desert

Pine Forest

A Brick Maze

Australian Outback

Marshy Swamp

Beyond the zones is another jungle that is half a mile wide that is surrounded by another beach that is 60 meters wide. Located about a quarter mile away from the beach are the tops of the 72 tubes that will be where the tributes will come up.

Brutus calls all the mentors over to the center of the room. "We should take a closer look at each zone to get a better idea of what our kids are up against."

"Since there are 12 zones, I say each district takes a zone and share what we discover," says Gloss. Cash and I will start with the mountain range. We can go clockwise around with Haymitch and Effie doing the marshy swamp."

"That sounds fair enough." Finnick replies. "The games start in about 30 minutes. We'll meet back here in about 10 minutes. Will that be enough time for everyone?"

All the mentors agree and go to their stations to check out each zone. Ten minutes later the mentors meet up again. Gloss and Cashmere begin their observations.

"We had the mountain range zone. That is pretty self-explanatory." Cashmere begins.

"The mountains looked rocky. There were some animals walking around, rams and mountain goats if my memory serves me correctly." Gloss adds. "Whichever tributes go through this zone will need to be careful of rock slides."

"And have good climbing skills" Cashmere adds, hoping that Glimmer and Marvel are nowhere near this zone.

"Eno and I checked out zone two. It's a winter tundra, flat and snow covered." Brutus says.

"I saw some animals – polar bears, arctic foxes, and caribou as well as some vegetation – arctic moss, rock willow, and labrador tea bushes. The tributes should be able to eat if the can start a fire." Enobaria says.

"Wiress and I had the run down 21st century city. Could be pretty safe if a tribute pays attention to their surroundings. Lots of building that looked about ready to fall over. There were some vehicles but they all looked burned out, so no help there." Beetee says thinking. "There also looked like a tube opening in the center of the city."

"Bicycles. Ride." Wiress contributes.

"Mags and I had the tropical rain forest. The kids will need to be careful though. We saw Bengal tigers, king cobras, and vampire bats." Finnick tells the group. "Lots of vegetation too. Should be a good zone to be in for the most part."

"We had the fifth zone. It was a cave system. A lot of dead ends, no plants, and some really nasty looking bats." One of the District 5 mentors said.

District 6 had the African savannah. "We saw baobab trees, Bermuda grass, elephant grass, and a whistling thorn acacia tree that had some very nasty looking nigriceps ants on it. As for animals, we saw lions, Nile crocodiles, black mamba snakes, and African wild dogs. A nasty zone."

Johanna pipes in, "I hope none of the tributes go to the volcanic mountain zone. They'll be boned for sure. Nothing there. No plants or animals."

Blight looks at Johanna. "Wow, blunt much?" Johanna just shrugs.

"We had the desert area." Cecilia says. "Looks pretty desolate. There were very few plants or animals. Looked like another tube opening in the center."

"The tributes will need to be on the lookout for snakes, coyotes, and jumping cholla cactus plants. That cactus plant projects its needles at whatever passes by it too closely. Could be painful." Woof adds.

District 9 had the pine forest zone and reported seeing it was thick with trees, bear grass, and wild potato plants. As for animals, they saw alpacas, llamas, snow leopards, and yaks. District 10 didn't have much to tell either. They had the brick maze zone. No plants or animals to be seen.

Seeder speaks next. "We had the Australian outback zone. I looked up the plants, there's sandhill wattles, sturts desert pea, gum trees, and mulga trees."

Chaff hiccups before adding, "The animals included kangaroos, dingos, Australian crocodiles, monitor lizards, red back spiders, and western brown snakes also known as gwardars. The tributes will need to be careful around the snakes and spiders. The female red backs are poisonous."

Haymitch and Effie go last. "We had the marshy swamps. I certainly hope none of our tributes wind up there. It looks nasty." Effie says, her nose scrunched. "There were ash and elm trees, water lilies, marsh marigolds, cattails, and showy lady's slippers."

"The animals here were American alligators, copperhead snakes, American toads, green herons, and blue winged teals. Saw some mosquitos and dragon flies as well." Haymitch adds in a rather bored tone.

"Well, now that we know some of what our tributes are up against, we can't forget that the game makers have tricks up their sleeves. Who knows what dangerous traps they have placed in these zones. We have seen dangerous animals and plants in most of the zones. I'm really worried about the maze and caves, as neither had much in the way of plants or animals." says Beetee.

"Um, guys, you may want to see this…" Gloss calls out. "This is something I never would have imagined."

All the mentors turn towards Gloss who is pointing at the large screen in front of him. They all look to the screen and see the water around the cornucopia. A couple birds land in the water before they see it happen. Two or three birds fight to fly away but can't. There are piranha in the water! If a tribute tries to swim to the cornucopia, they'll be killed.

"Well, that's an interesting development. We need to let our tributes know." Brutus says.

Just then, they notice the tributes arising up from their tubes. As soon as all the tributes are up, they hear Seneca over the loud speaker, "Attention tributes! Some changes have been made to the games this year. First, there are 36 backpacks hidden in the jungle in front of you that will help you on your way to the cornucopia. When you get close enough, you will hear them beep. Second, no help from your Mentors will be given until after midnight tonight. Third, you will have 6 hours to get to the cornucopia. After that, it will disappear until noon tomorrow. And finally, some of you may have noticed an empty tube next to you. Rue Burd of District 11 and Daniel Fischer of District 4 won the privilege of getting a head start and have been released closer to the cornucopia. Good luck tributes. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Guess we'll just have to wait until midnight to help." Lyme says, thinking about the rebel tributes.

Each District Mentor take their seats at their monitors. The next voice they hear is Plutarch Heavensbee.

"Hello Mentors. I'm sure you all heard Seneca's announcement. If you look at your large screens for a moment, you will notice 13 colored lights. I'm going to explain what they mean. The white dots represents the district 1 tributes, red is district 2, blue is district 3, green is district 4, orange is district 5, yellow is district 6, black is district 7, purple is district 8, pink is district 9, silver is district 10, bronze is district 11, and gold is district 12. The 36 amber colored lights represent the hidden backpacks. A reminder, there will be no contacting tributes until midnight tonight."

Haymitch watches the 6 smaller screens of his tributes. He sees them get ready to dive in and decides that if he ever sees Boggs again, he would personally thank the man for making sure that his tributes had swimming lessons earlier that summer. He looks over to Effie and sees her staring at the screens with a very worried look. He reaches for her hand and gives it a squeeze. "They'll be fine Effie," he whispers. "They can swim." She looks over, returning the squeeze, and smiles.

The starting cannon booms through the room and the all mentor's eyes are on the screens. Except for Lyme. She had gotten up and began taking notes as to where the rebel tributes were located. By the time she finished with District 12, she knew where each rebel tribute had started. Her notes were as follows:

Tube #6 = zone 1 – Thresh (went to zone 2, with Madge)

Tube #10= zone 2 – Madge

Tube # 16 = zone 3 – Rie

Tube # 21 = zone 4 – Glimmer

Tube #24 = zone 4 – Delly

Tube #29 = zone 5 – Katniss

Tube #30 = zone 5 – Marvel

Tube #42 = zone 8 – Gale

Tube #48 = zone 8 – Cato

Tube #58 = zone 10 – Peeta

Tube #61 = zone 11 – Clove (went to zone 10, with Peeta)

*Rue = zone 3 – ruined city

*Damien = zone 8 – desert (not a rebel tribute, from District 4, could be threat to Cato and Gale)

Lyme made sure every mentor that had rebel tributes saw her notes before she went out to the lounge to meet with her district 13 contact to share the info with them. She shared her notes with Finnick, a fellow rebel, before she destroyed her notes. All the mentors could do now was wait until midnight to help their tributes.

**A really short chapter, I know. Not my favorite chapter. It was for description of the arena purposes mainly. Chapter 7 is half way done. It will definitely be interesting – a secret revealed and a cliff hanger is involved. Should be up no later than Tuesday. **


	7. Chapter 7 The Tributes go into the Arena

_**The Games We Played**_

**Here is chapter 7. To my new followers, welcome to my insanity! Our favorite tributes will be going into the arena this chapter. **

_**MangoMagic**_**: My first reviewer of chapter 6! I understand where you're coming from. I thought it would be interesting to utilize current biomes for the futuristic games settings. I realized that America, Africa, and Australia might not be common terms to the tributes, but the game makers would have had a little more info coming to them being from the Capitol. They in turn could pass 'certain' info to the mentors. **

_**Insanitywriter**_**: Hi and welcome to my crazy idea! I was a little worried that no one would like my idea for the arena. But so far I've heard nothing but good things. I'd love to tell you right now that all 12 tributes will be safe and sound but that would just ruin the whole story ;) I hope you'll keep on this rollercoaster I'm creating and enjoy the ride!**

Chapter 7: The Tributes go into the Arena

Peeta awakes to Haymitch shaking him. He tells Peeta to get cleaned up for breakfast. After his shower, he throws on some khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. He slips on a pair of sock and running shoes before heading to the dining room. He loads his plate with eggs, bacon, waffles, toast, and strawberries. While they're all eating, Haymitch reminds them that they need to find water. He tells them that he knows that they'll be fine, to remember _all_ their training. When the six teens finish eating, Haymitch and Effie take them to the roof to the hovercraft. The six tributes from District 11 are already on board. A woman dressed in white injects their trackers in their arms. Peeta winces when he received his. They're in the air for about an hour when they reach their destination. They unload one at a time, in two minute intervals, led by two peacekeepers.

Peeta is led to a door labeled District 12 male – C. When the door opens, he sees Portia waiting for him. He walks over to her and she wraps her arms around him. She then leads him over to a small couch so they can talk.

"Peeta, I was at the interviews last night. I saw you. You looked out of it. What was going on?"

He looks at her, "Do you remember the pocket watch you gave me when I was getting ready?" She nods. "It was from my dad. I had forgotten he gave it to me the day of the reaping. I had just shoved it in my pocket, not really thinking about it. I finally opened it before the interviews." He looks down at his folded hands in his lap. Portia leans forward and puts her hand on his, encouraging him to continue. He takes a deep breath. "Inside the watch was a picture of two babies, twins. Me and what would have been my twin sister."

Portia's eyes widen. "How do you know that?"

"My dad left me a note." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the watch and a scrap of paper. He hands the paper to Portia to read.

_Peeta-_

_This is you and your twin sister Michetta. She died two days after you were born. We never told anyone about her. I should have done more to protect you._

_Dad_

Portia looks back to Peeta, who shows her the picture. "You had a twin that you didn't know about? Does Rie know?"

Peeta shrugs his shoulders. "I don't honestly know." His voice is quiet.

"Peeta, one more question. What did your dad mean when he said he should've done more to protect you?"

Peeta shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about that."

Portia puts an arm around Peeta. "Hey, I understand you don't want to talk about it. But you are so sidetracked right now and you need to have your mind on what your about to go into. Being this distracted will get you killed. I have faith in you. I think you can win." She gets up and goes to get his outfit. His voice is so quiet she almost didn't hear him.

"My mother used to hit me. When I was 11, she beat me bad and kicked me out, disowned me. The rest of the family wasn't allowed to talk to me. Rie finally stood up to her and we've been working on mending our relationship."

Portia drops the clothes and turns to Peeta. She sees the tears flowing down his face. She rushes over to him and wraps her arms around him. "Shh, it's okay Peeta. Just let it out." She holds him and lets him cry himself out. When he's done, she leads him to the sink to wash his face. She brings the outfit over for him to put on. He puts on the navy boxer brief underwear, followed by navy cotton shorts and t-shirt. The last piece is a black and gold full body neoprene body suit. On his feet, socks and neoprene boot-like shoes with deep treads on the bottom. She puts the watch with the note inside in a waterproof pouch around Peeta's neck, tucking it under the suit.

"Looks like you'll be in water." Portia says zipping up the back of Peeta's suit.

"Hey Portia, what's this button do?" Peeta asks, pointing to a spot near his wrist.

"I don't know, shall we see?" Peeta nods and she pushes it. The upper half of the suit inflates. "Oh, it's a floatation device!" She pushes the button again and the suit deflates.

All of a sudden a woman's voice fills the room. "All tributes to their tubes please. All tributes to their tubes please."

Peeta starts to head to the tube in the corner of the room before turning around and throwing his arms around Portia. "Thank you Portia. For everything. I mean _everything_."

"Talk to Rie. Show him the watch, picture, and note. Good luck." She whispers in his ear. He nods.

Peeta rushes to the tube and it closes behind him. He turns to see Portia wave to him. He waves back as the disk below him starts to rise. Coming out of the darkness, he is temporarily blinded by a bright light. Blinking a few times, he gets a view of the arena. He sends a million thanks to Katniss and Boggs for insisting they learn to swim. He looks around to the other tributes, hoping to see at least one or two near him. Three tributes to his left he sees Clove. She smiles and points to the shore. He nods back. He looks to his right. The closest ally he sees is about ten tributes away. At first he thought it could be Rie but a second look reveals it to be Cato. Before he has a chance to think, Seneca Crane makes an announcement.

"Attention tributes! Some changes have been made to the games this year. First, there are 36 backpacks hidden in the jungle in front of you that will help you on your way to the cornucopia. When you get close enough, you will hear them beep. Once you grab it, the beeping will stop. Second, no help from your Mentors will be given until after midnight tonight. Third, you will have 6 hours to get to the cornucopia. After that, it will disappear until noon tomorrow. And finally, some of you may have noticed an empty tube next to you. Rue Burd of District 11 and Daniel Fischer of District 4 won the privilege of getting a head start and have been released closer to the cornucopia. Good luck tributes. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

With that, a clock counting down from 60 lit up in the sky. Peeta looked towards Cato again but saw that he was focused on the shore, ready to go. He looked over to Clove. She was also standing in a ready position. He looked past her one last time to see if any other ally members were near. There weren't as far as he could tell. He put his hand up to the watch under his suit. He thought of Portia. She who treated him with kindness, talked to him, got him to open up when even his own best friends couldn't. He knew he would do as Portia said, that as soon as he found Rie, he would show him the watch, picture, and note. He also decided that if he found his friends, they would see them as well. This was something they should know as well.

As for Cato, he needed to apologize to him for the night before. Peeta knew deep down that Cato wasn't trying to hurt him by asking him about his past. He snuck another peek towards him. He hoped that Cato was still his ally and would forgive him.

Peeta checked the clock. Ten seconds left. He got ready. When the canon boomed, he dove in the water and swam quickly. As soon as he reached the shore, he looked for Clove. She had swam towards where he was and was walking out of the water behind him. She pointed behind her.

"Look, some of the tributes are still on their tubes."

Sure enough, Peeta could barely see 3 tributes still standing out there. He leans down and whispers in Clove's ear, "I'm glad Boggs and Katniss made the six of us learn to swim." She looks at him and smiles. "I saw Cato down that way," he says pointing towards his left. "Should we go towards him or head directly to the cornucopia?"

She looks in the direction he pointed and the at the jungle in front of them. "Let's hit the jungle. Too big a risk running into tributes without any weapons. Better chance of finding a backpack or two as well." Peeta nods and they run up the beach towards the jungle. When they reach the jungle, they look back and see a couple tributes struggling onto the beach. Peeta takes Clove's hand and they run into the jungle together. They leap and duck their way through the trees. They get about three quarters of the way through the jungle when they hear a beeping noise. They stop and listen. Listening closely, they follow the sound until they figure out where it was coming from. Up in a tree was a backpack. Peeta climbs the tree and drops the large, heavy backpack to Clove. She waits for him to come back down to open it. Inside they find a half gallon jug of water, a bag of dried meat, a bag of dried fruit, matches, a rolled pouch of 12 throwing knives, a large heat reflecting blanket, a first aid kit, a flashlight, some rope, a pair of socks, a map and a compass.

As they load everything back into the backpack except 3 knives each, the cannon signaling tribute deaths started going off. Clove and Peeta look at each other. They counted 14 booms.

"I bet it was those tributes that couldn't or wouldn't swim. I'm sure our friends are fine." Clove says when she sees Peeta's worried look.

"I know. I just can't help but worry." Peeta replies.

They are ready to keep going. Peeta takes the lead and they run until they come to a brick wall. They decide to follow to the left. They walk until they find an opening.

"Let's go," Clove says. "We've got over 5 hours to reach the cornucopia. Let's get the map and compass out and get going."

Gale is standing on his platform, waiting for the countdown to end to swim to the shore. He sees Cato six spaces to his right. He decides to join him on the shore. Together they can decide where to go. When the cannon signals the beginning of the games, he dives in and heads towards the shore. He gets there about the same time as Cato.

He yells at Cato to get his attention. "Cato!"

Cato turns and sees him. "Gale!"

They meet up higher on the shore. "Partners?" Gale asks.

"Partners." Cato replies.

They head into the jungle as 3 other tributes get to the shore. They could kill the other tributes but want to get to the cornucopia quicker to hopefully meet up with the other allies. They know the sooner they meet up, the sooner they can be rescued. Gale follows Cato, knowing that the other tribute wants to find Peeta first. Gale is a little surprised at how quick Cato is in the jungle.

Over three quarters of the way through, they hear a beeping sound. They stop long enough to agree to look for whatever is making the sound. They quickly come across a backpack lying at the base of a large tree. They open it to find a gallon jug of water, a large bag of dried meat, a small bag of dried fruit, matches, and a rolled pouch of 4 throwing knives, a large heat reflecting blanket, a first aid kit, a flashlight, some rope, and a hat. They each take 2 knives before moving on. As they near the edge of the forest, they hear another beeping sound. They follow the sound to another backpack half way up a large tree. Gale climbs the tree and tosses the small backpack to Cato, who opens it as Gale climbs back down. Inside is another gallon jug of water, some ninja stars, and a small baggie of dried meat, another hat, and a small first aid kit. Cato puts the large backpack on.

"Peeta's really good with stars. I'm glad we found them. We should hold onto them for him." Gale says, repacking the second backpack. Cato nods in agreement. They start walking as Gale puts on the smaller backpack and find themselves leaving the jungle and entering a desert. They hear the 14 booms. Neither of them question if they're for their friends. They just know they're safe – for now.

Katniss gives Cinna a hug before climbing in her tube. As soon as she comes up she sees to her left is Marvel, who smiles widely when he sees her. He mouths, 'can you swim?' Katniss nods. They listen to Seneca's speech and then get ready to go. She quickly looks to her right and can see Delly 5 spaces away but can't get her attention. When the starting cannon goes off, Katniss and Marvel dive in. Marvel reaches the shore ahead of Katniss. He sees a girl from District 2 not far behind her. He picks up some rocks and begins to throw them at the girl, keeping her in the water until Katniss is out. As soon as Katniss is out of the water, Marvel stops throwing rocks and they quickly run into the jungle. Katniss wants to hide in a tree to stay away from the District 2 girl, but Marvel thinks they should try and find a backpack and hope there is some sort of weapon inside.

They go with Marvel's plan and soon hear a beeping noise. They follow the sound and see a backpack in a tree. Katniss climbs the tree while Marvel guards. He hears someone coming and prepares to attack. While in the tree, Katniss opens the pack and goes through it. She can hear Marvel and the District 2 girl fighting. She unwraps a blanket and finds a small sword inside. After repacking the bag, she quietly climbs down the tree, backpack on her back and sword in her hand. Marvel sees her and positions the girl so that her back is to Katniss. Katniss sneaks up to the girl and stabs her from behind. As the girl lies on the ground, Marvel smiles at Katniss.

"You were amazing! Thank you for saving me."

"We're allies Marvel. You would've done the same for me. Let's hurry to find the other. It looked like we're almost out of the jungle." Katniss replies, glad she was able to keep her ally alive.

They walk until they reach a small outcropping of rocks. Marvel points to a ledge. "It looks like there's a cave. Shall we check it out?"

"Sure," Katniss replies. She hates caves as they remind her of her father and his death in the mines. "Let me grab the flashlight and compass first." She digs in the backpack until she finds the items. She hands them over to Marvel before following him into the cavern. They hear 14 cannons go off as they enter the opening. Marvel smiles as he goes in, sure that the cannon wasn't for anyone they were allied with.

Delly is standing on her platform after hearing Seneca's announcement. She had froze when she saw the water. She had barely begun to learn to swim before being reaped. Her fear of water still prevalent despite knowing how to swim. She sees Glimmer 3 spaces to her right. She feels a little better knowing she has someone she can team up with.

When the starting cannon booms, she jumps right in. She swims the way she was taught. It's not fast but she makes it to the shore in a respectable amount of time. She sees Glimmer about to enter the forest. She calls out to her. "Glimmer! Wait up!"

Glimmer stops when she heard her name being called. She turns to look at Delly who is running over to her. "Let's team up," says a breathless Delly. Glimmer agrees.

The walk until they almost reach the end of the jungle when they hear beeping noise to their left. They follow the sound and find a small backpack hanging precariously off a branch 15 feet up. Delly tells Glimmer to stand under the branch to catch the backpack while she climbs the tree to get it loose. Delly gets to the branch and scoots towards the backpack on her stomach. She barely touches the bag before it falls into Glimmer's waiting hands. Delly sits up and tries to decide the best way to get down. She decides to just lay back down and scoot back. But as she does, the branch breaks and she falls out of the tree landing on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Glimmer rushes over to check on Delly.

Other than some cuts, scrapes, and bruising, Delly is fine. They both feel lucky it wasn't worse. They then check out the contents of their bag. They find two small empty water bottles, a small bottle of iodine to purify water, a small bag of dried fruit, a rain jacket, and an umbrella. They continue to the edge of the forest where they see a forest, a rain forest. They head in as they hear 14 cannon booms.

Rie comes up from his tube, blinded temporarily from the sun. While listening to Seneca, he notes that he is right next to an empty platform. He realizes he has a 50-50 chance of meeting up with little Rue somewhere in the area ahead of him. He really likes the little girl as she reminds him of Katniss' little sister. As the countdown starts, he can barely see Madge six spaces to his right and Glimmer five spaces to his left. He briefly entertains the thought of swimming to meet up with one of them. But the thought of finding Rue makes his final decision be to forge ahead. He knows he has to beat the District 4 girl on his left and a District 1 boy on his right to have a chance.

He dives in as soon as he hears the cannon. He swims quickly towards the shore, arriving at the same time as the two careers. He sprints into the jungle hoping to put some distance between them. He hears them arguing on whether to go after him or wait for other tributes still swimming to shore. He gets about halfway through the jungle when he hears them following him. He turns to his left and finds a tree to hide in. He watches as they run past him. He decides to wait a little while before climbing down and continuing on.

After about half an hour, he climbs down and walks at an angle towards the edge of the jungle. He hears a beeping sound and nearly trips over a backpack hidden in some roots of a tree. He throws the backpack over his shoulders without looking inside. His priority now is finding his group and hopefully, little Rue. As he walks out of the jungle, he sees a run-down city lying before him. Before he can run into the area, he hears the 14 cannon booms designating the loss of 14 tributes. He desperately hopes that none of the lost tributes are of his allies.

Madge is nervous. She isn't the greatest swimmer. Looking at the water in front of her, she tries to remember everything Boggs and Katniss taught her. She looks down at the little button on her suit. She could inflate the suit but worries it could hinder her progress, making her swim slower. She sees Thresh 4 spaces to her right. He points to the shore signaling to her that he'll meet up with her. She gives him a thumbs up to let him know she understood and will meet him. She sees Rie six spaces to her left but sees that he is staring towards the shore. She prepares herself to dive in when the timer begins to countdown.

When she gets to the shore, Thresh is there waiting for her. He takes her hand and they run into the jungle. Neither speaks as they run. They can hear other tributes behind them but ignore them. While a fast runner, Thresh seems to be okay with running at a slower speed for Madge. They leap, duck, and weave around trees. They don't really stop for anything. They near the end of the jungle when they hear two distinct beeping sounds. They decide to split up and look for the sounds. Thresh finds a backpack tucked into a V of a tree. He grabs it and heads back in the direction where he separated from Madge. Madge finds a backpack up high in a tree and climbs for it. She hears someone running towards her which causes her to hurry up the tree. She grabs the backpack and looks down. At the bottom of her tree stands a girl from District 3.

"You can toss that bag down to me and I will just go." says the girl.

"Never going to happen." Madge replies. "Finders keepers."

"I can just sit here and wait for you then." The girl says as she sits on a root.

Madge looks around and can see Thresh sneaking over to the tree. He had overheard the conversation and sneaks up on the girl. She jumps up when she sees Thresh. He grabs her and snaps her neck. He looks up to Madge and she can see that he feels bad for killing the girl. She climbs down and joins him on the ground. They open their backpacks and find parkas and thick gloves in each bag as well as water, dried meat, and a small first aid kit. They look at each other a little confused. They repack their backpacks and head to the end of the jungle. When they see the frozen tundra ahead of them, they understand the contents of their bags. They take out the warm clothing and walk out into the frozen land. As they step onto the frozen ground, they hear 14 cannon booms. Both realize that one of those was for the girl Thresh had to kill.

Peeta and Clove have been in the maze for about an hour. Peeta feels like they're not making any progress. Clove looks at the map and compass again. They hit a T and can't decide whether to turn left or right. They decide to split up and each head in the opposite direction to try to figure out their next step. Clove goes to the right and comes to a left turn. Peeta goes left and comes to a right turn. They both make the decision to go forward. Clove follows the path, turning corners right, left, then left again when she stops to check the map again. She hears someone up ahead. As she peeks around the corner, she sees Peeta looking a little lost. She runs around the corner and unintentionally startles Peeta. Before he can say anything, he sees a wall behind Clove block the path from which she came and another path open.

"Let's check out the new path." Peeta says pointing towards the path that had just opened up.

"Fine with me. And no more splitting up. This place creeps the shit out of me." Clove replies. As they begin walking, she continues, "I wonder how many walls have moved since we've been in here."

"I don't know. It's almost like we're being led somewhere." Peeta says glancing down at the girl by his side. He's feeling protective of her despite knowing she can handle herself.

They follow the new path along, being led to the center of the maze. But they didn't arrive alone. Across from where they entered, a tribute from District 7 walks in. The walls behind the tributes close and Clove realizes that they were being forced to fight the other tribute. She looks over to Peeta, "I got this," she says pulling a knife out of her boot. "The only way out is to kill that tribute Peeta."

He nods sadly. He expected they'd have to kill eventually when they found the knives. He just didn't expect it to be a young boy from 7. The kid didn't look more than 14 years old. And he was unarmed.

Clove threw her knife and hit the boy in the chest, cannon going off immediately after. She walks over to retrieve her knife. As she leans down, she makes sure to close the boy's eyes before grabbing her knife. She walks back to Peeta as a wall to her left opens. They go through and follow the winding path for another hour. They hear a scream coming from somewhere behind them and start jogging. They see a bright flash of light to their right and hear another scream and two cannon blasts. They run until they find themselves exiting the maze into another jungle.

"Do you think we went in a circle?" Clove asks worriedly.

Peeta looks at the jungle in front of them. "It's possible but I don't think so. Listen. Do you hear that? It sounds like birds. I don't remember birds in the first jungle. Not that the game makers couldn't be trying to trick us. Let's just go and see what's beyond these trees."

Clove looks at the trees and says, "Let's go then Bread Boy."

Peeta chuckles at the nickname as they head into the jungle. They walk for about a quarter of a mile before stopping for some water and food. Neither speaks, comfortable just listening to the sounds around them. They rest for another 15 minutes before continuing on.

When they reach the edge of the jungle they see the cornucopia. Peeta turns to Clove, wraps his arms around her waist lifting her up before spinning in a circle.

"We did it!" Peeta exclaims as he sets her down.

Clove laughs and playfully punches him on the shoulder. "Do that again and I _will _hurt you."

They begin to walk towards the bridge that will take them to the cornucopia when Peeta notices something hidden in the sand. "Clove, stop!"

She stops looking at him curiously. "What's the matter Peeta?"

He points at the spot in front of him. "Do you see that? It looks like it could be a land mine."

She looks down and gasps. "We could have stepped on that. Do you think there are more?"

He looks over at her. "I'd bet my life there are many more." Out of the corner of his eye he sees two figures coming out of the jungle. "I wonder who they could be." he says.

Gale and Cato had been walking for about half an hour when they decide to peel out of their neoprene suits. Both were thankful for the cotton shorts and t-shirts they had been forced to put on underneath. The hats were nice too, shading their eyes from the sun. As they walked along, Gale points out some tracks that looked like dog prints but were actually coyote. Neither was aware that they were about to walk by a Mohave rattlesnake until they heard it. They somehow manage to not get bit but are more aware of the dangerous situation they are in.

They stop for a break near a bunch of Joshua trees. They drink some water and eat some dried fruit. They hear a cannon blast. Gale puts his hand on Cato's shoulder when he saw the look of worry cross his face. "I'm sure Peeta's fine. He was the best of all of us in our training. He's the best at surviving."

Cato smiles at Gale. "Thanks for that. But I'm worried about Clove too. I hope she was lucky enough to pair up like we did."

Gale removes his hand, takes another drink of water, and repacks the half empty water jug in his bag. "We should probably get going. I don't want –"

"Don't want what Gale?" Cato asks confused, packing his own bag.

"Get up! Get up now! We have to go!"

Cato turns to look at what Gale is seeing. A large dust storm is headed right for them. He jumps up and the two takeoff running. Gale points to a rocky outcropping where they could try to get out of the storm. They reach the outcropping, pull out the blanket, and find a spot to ride out the storm just in time. For 30 minutes they could hear the storm. They remained hidden for another 5 minutes before looking to make sure it was over.

After shaking out the blanket and repacking it into a backpack, Gale seemed despondent. His biggest fear in the desert was getting lost. Now he fears they will never get out. Cato, on the other hand, was absolutely sure of the direction they should take and took the lead in getting them out. As they walked, they heard two more cannons go off, signaling two more deaths. Neither one commented on the cannons, both deep in their own worries.

As they walked, they could see trees in the distance. They jogged until they realized it was a jungle. Gale was almost certain they had gotten turned around but didn't say anything. It wasn't until they were in the trees that either of them realizes that while it looks the same as the one they went through earlier, there are birds singing in this one. They only stop once to take a drink of water. When they finally reach the end of the jungle, they can see the cornucopia. What they hadn't noticed was the District 4 male that had been following them!

Katniss was freaking out! She hates being in the cave. It reminds her of the mines from 12. Marvel could feel the stress and worry pouring off her. He holds her hand, giving her a comforting squeeze every now and then. She holds the compass while he holds the flashlight. The small sword was sticking up out of the backpack Katniss was wearing.

They walked along, having to back track twice when they ran into some dead ends. After about an hour, they reached a large cavern. It had a large pool of water in the middle and the light seemed to reflect off many surfaces. Both were amazed at the beauty of it. They decided to sit by the water and take a short break. They ate a quick snack and talked about the one thing from home they missed the most. For Katniss, it was her little sister Prim. For Marvel, it was his two year old nephew Ace. He admitted to Katniss that Ace was the reason he volunteered for the games, to give him a better life. She reached over and patted Marvels hand in understanding. She understood that it had a double meaning, that he became a rebel to stop the games so that kids like Prim and Ace would never have to participate in them.

They stood up and got ready to leave the cavern. The saw an opening on the other side of the water and walked around to reach it. As they were leaving, they could hear a rumble coming from behind them. They looked back and saw rocks falling from the ceiling where they had been sitting and talking. The two looked at each other before running into the next tunnel. They ran for about 20 minutes, picking tunnels without consulting their compass. When they finally stopped running, they could no longer hear any rumblings.

"What do you think caused the ceiling to crumble?" Katniss asks.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the echoes from our voices, or maybe a cannon went off and we were too deep to hear it." Marvel replies. "Let's just keep moving and get out of here."

They walked in silence for a while. Katniss thought she was hearing things move, but there was never anything there when she looked. Until she kicked a rock. Hundreds of bats came swooping down on her and Marvel. Katniss screamed. Marvel covered her mouth with his hand. He shined the flashlight on the bats and watched them fly down the tunnel. He let go of Katniss' mouth grabbing her hand instead and followed the bats, pulling her with him. She tried to pull away, but he held onto her firmly.

After what seemed like hours, Katniss sees light coming in. They follow the light and soon find themselves walking out of the cave and into a jungle. Katniss falls to the ground, feeling hopeless. Marvel sits next to her and puts his arm around her shoulder, trying to offer her comfort. After a few minutes of sitting there, they hear birds singing.

"That's different." Marvel comments, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah. There weren't any sounds before when we ran through." Katniss says thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should explore around," suggests Marvel. "I mean, we could have ended up anywhere in the arena. Maybe we can find one of our friends."

Katniss looks over at him smiling. She stands up, offering him a hand to help him to his feet.

"Lead the way, captain!" Katniss jokes as Marvel stands.

Marvel takes the lead as they walk further into the jungle. They keep a look out for other tributes, but especially for their allies. They don't see anyone until they step out onto a beach. They can see the cornucopia in the middle of what appears to be a lake. To their right they are shocked at who they see.

Glimmer and Delly have been walking through the rain forest for almost an hour. They watched as large bats flew overhead, nearly stepped on the tail of a king cobra, and barely managed to sneak past 2 Bengal tigers fighting. Both were sick of trees.

But it was the sudden downpour of rain that nearly kills them. It rains so hard and fast that it had causes a flash flood that sweeps them up. They nearly drown. Delly catches a low hanging branch and quickly grabs Glimmer before she was swept past her. They manage to pull themselves into a tree when the rain stops. They are currently waiting for the water to drain away.

Glimmer takes out her pony tail and combs her fingers through her hair. "Ugh, my hair is a mess." She says as she's braiding it. The two girls heard a cannon go off.

"That very easily could've been one of us." Delly said.

"I know. And thanks for saving me down there. I thought for sure I was going to drown." Glimmer replies.

"We're in this together, Glim. You would've done the same for me. I hope we can get down soon. The last tree I was in wasn't very nice to me." Delly giggles.

"How are you feeling? Does your back still hurt?"

"I'm fine. My back would probably be better if we weren't swept away the way we were." Delly answers. "Does the water level look any lower to you?"

Glimmer looks down. "I can't tell. Should we take a chance and try to move on?"

"Let's check our food and eat first. We'll wait about half an hour and the climb down."

Glimmer agrees. Their food somehow managed to stay dry. They eat and wait. Finally they decide they've waited long enough and begin to climb down. The water is waist deep and they wade over to where they can get onto drier land. Once they're out they continue walking. They hear 2 more cannons go off and look at each other, eyes wide.

"I, I'm almost p-p-positive those weren't f-f-for anyone we know." Delly stutters.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Glimmer agrees. "Let's just get out of here."

The two girls walk on, not noticing when the rain forest became a jungle again. In fact, they were so lost in worry that it wasn't until they saw a beach that they realized where they were. They were so shocked; they just sat down, neither saying a word. They didn't even notice the others who had made their way to the beach.

Rie was busy ducking behind buildings and hiding behind burnt out cars. He was keeping an eye out for the two tributes that had followed him in the jungle. He hated that he was alone in this area, no one to watch his back. He really missed having Madge and Delly there. They always kept him on his toes. He even missed Gale and Katniss. Sure they could be gruff at times, but he'd give anything to have one of them with him. But he really wanted to see Peeta. He just got his brother back. He certainly wasn't going to lose him now. He even found himself missing Haymitch and Effie.

He was so busy thinking about everyone, he almost ran into the District 1 boy and the District 4 girl. He managed to duck behind an overturned car without being seen. It was then he heard them calling out to someone. Oh crap, was it Rue? He peeks over the top of the car and takes in the scene before him.

Rue was on top of an over turned bus, just out of reach of the two careers. She was keeping them away from her with a sling shot. Where did she get that? It looked like the girl from District 4 was trying to separate herself from the District 1 boy. Rie looks around for some sort of weapon. He grabs a good sized chunk of concrete. When he checks the scene again, he sees Rue signal towards the boy. He watches as she takes aim at the girl. He throws the concrete hitting the boy in the back of the head as Rue's rock hits the girl in the eye. The boy from 1 falls to the ground, knocked out. The girl from four runs off, not looking back to her partner. Rie runs over to the bus to help Rue down. She hugs him so tightly he can barely breathe. He can feel her shaking.

"Thank goodness you found me! I was so scared." Rue cries. She loosens her grip but still has her arms wrapped around him.

"Hey, it's going to be fine. I'm here now. Although, we probably should get a move on. He could wake up any time and she can come back." Rie says soothingly. "By the way, where did you get the sling shot?"

"The tube I came up in was right by a building. I had planned to hide out in it. The sling shot was lying on a shelf. I'm a really good shot." Rue said as she let's go of Rie. "I was in there when the 14 cannons went off. I don't know why, but right after that, the roof caved in. I got a cut on the back of my leg. The bleeding stopped. I was looking for a way to clean it when I ran into those two. I managed to climb up on the bus before they got me."

"I managed to get this backpack but haven't looked at what's inside. Let's try to find some place where we can be safe for a moment and I'll check out your leg."

"Which way should we go?" asks Rue.

They look around. "Maybe we should just walk in the direction you were headed and go from there." Rue suggests.

Rie smiles down at her. "Good call Little Bird. Shall we?"

They took off at a slow jog, wanting to put as much space between them and the two injured careers. They went about five city blocks before they found a small building to stop and rest in. Rie thought it looked like a bakery, but with more fancy equipment in the kitchen area where they decided to hide. Rie opened his backpack while Rue peeled herself out of the neoprene suit. He found a small first aid kit, a water bottle, a hunting knife, a small blanket, and some dried meat. He put the knife in his boot, the first aid kit and water in his lap, and put everything else – including Rue's suit – back into the backpack.

Rie helps Rue up on the counter, having her lay on her belly so he can look at her leg. Luckily, the cut isn't deep. He pours water over the cut and when it's dry, wraps a bandage around it. Once he's done, he helps her down and offers her some jerky. Rue declines, stating she just wants to find Thresh and the rest of the gang. He puts the kit and water back in the bag after grabbing himself some meat. The head out and resume their path through the city. Half a block from where they stopped, they heard a cannon. Rie grabs Rue's hand. "It wasn't them." Rie reassures her.

They pick up their pace, making sure to keep checking behind them for the two tributes they injured. After about an hour, they hear two more cannons go off. They look at each other. They see the fear and hope in each other's eyes which spur them on faster.

When they reach the jungle, Rue is happy to see the trees. She climbed a tree and looked around. She didn't see any dangers ahead or coming from the city. They decided that Rue would travel by trees while Rie stayed on the ground. It takes about an hour and a half to get through the jungle. Neither one wanted to stop for anything. They just wanted to make sure everyone else was okay. When they reach the end of the jungle, Rue climbs out of the tree and they walk out onto the beach. They first notice the cornucopia, and then they see someone else on the beach.

Madge is freezing her ass off. Her parka and mittens just aren't warm enough. Thresh is silent. Hasn't said a word since he saved Madge from that other tribute. The most excitement she's had was when she saw the herd of caribou running. They'd been in this frozen wasteland for almost an hour when they heard the cannon that caused the caribou to take off running. That was half an hour ago. She was wondering if they were walking in circles.

Thresh was feeling guilty. He really didn't want to have to kill that girl but he needed Madge. They were a team and she was a good ally to have. He couldn't just leave her in that tree. What if it had been little Rue? No, he did the right thing. He hoped that the family of the girl would someday be able to forgive him.

When the two cannons went off, Madge and Thresh started to jog. They really wanted out of the freezing cold. They jogged until they saw trees off in the distance. They looked at on another. Thresh smiled at Madge. They then sprinted for the tree line knowing that they'd soon be able to get warm.

Reaching the jungle, they kept running until their parkas and mittens make it too hard. They stopped to remove them and eat something.

"I didn't want to kill that girl." Thresh says suddenly.

Madge reaches over and grabs his hand. "I know. I understand why you felt you had to. We're a team and we stick together. Just know that had the roles been reversed, I would have done the same for you. Not that you would need me to, but I think you know what I mean."

He squeezes her hand. "I do. Thank you."

"Not a problem. Shall we go find the rest of our team?"

Thresh nods. They repack their bags and head out. They jog through the jungle. Madge is thankful for Mitchell's running work outs in the forest back home. She decides to thank the man when she sees him again. They're both really relieved when they come to the end of the jungle and can see the cornucopia.

The twelve rebel tributes all reached the beach around the same time. Thresh and Madge came out of the jungle and saw Rue and Rie. They ran over to the two with Thresh lifting Rue up and spinning her around. Madge was hugging Rie when she saw Delly and Glimmer. She pulled Rie along.

"Thresh! Rue! Come on! It's Delly and Glimmer." Madge called over her shoulder.

Delly and Glimmer saw four of their friends heading towards them from their right. Glimmer looked to the left and saw Marvel and Katniss. As soon as Madge and Rie reached them, Glimmer ran towards Marvel and Katniss. She leaped into Marvels arms laughing.

"I am so glad to see you!" she squealed.

"No more than we are to see you guys. Have you seen Peeta, Gale, Clove, or Cato?" Marvel asks setting Glimmer down to greet the others.

"No, but I bet they're around here somewhere." Rie answers hugging Marvel.

"Should we look for them or head to the cornucopia?" Katniss asks, giving Thresh a hug.

They look at the clock counting down how much time is left before Seneca said the island would sink.

"We have 42 minutes. I say we go to the cornucopia and gather as many weapons and anything else we can carry." Rue says. "Once we get over there, some of us can get weapons and supplies while the rest of us look towards the beach to see if we see them."

"Good plan Little Bird" says Rie. The group walks towards the closest bridge which was located near where Glimmer and Delly met with the others. Delly was in front and was the first to notice the hidden land mine.

"Guys watch out! There are hidden land mines!" she exclaims pointing it out.

"Wow! We got lucky that none of us stepped on one yet!" exclaims Marvel.

More aware of where they step, the eight tributes make their way to the bridge. On the bridge, they hear a loud boom and see a large dust cloud and what looks like a body flying in the air across the lake.

"Holy Shit!" Katniss screamed.

Peeta saw Gale and Cato together. He called out to Gale while Clove called for Cato. Peeta grabs Cloves hand and they carefully run towards their friends. Peeta stops in his tracks when he notices the District 4 male come out of the jungle, knife in his hand, heading towards Cato and Gale. Everything seems to go in slow motion. The next thing Peeta sees are Gale and Cato flying through the air.

"CATO!" Peeta screams.

**There we are my loves – a secret revealed and a cliff hanger. I apologize at the late hour posting of this chapter. I was watching my 4 year old nephew for the last time today – grandma (my mom) is better from her knee surgery and is ready to watch him again. He wanted to play and whooped my butt at video games. The kid is a video game genius!**


	8. Chapter 8 Part 2 The Tributes in Arena

_**The Games We Played**_

**First I want to say that I am truly humbled by you all. Every chapter I've posted has had someone new follow or favorite my story. And to those who leave me reviews, I don't have the words to say how much that truly means to me. Thank you is not nearly enough, but comes from the heart.**

_**Rolyn**_**: Peeta having a twin doesn't seem significant now? I'm teasing. Just stick with me please. The cliffhanger was because I felt the need to split the first 24 hours in the arena up. Okay, seriously the cliffhanger was for me to test the waters so to speak. My chapter lengths are all over the place. I've decided on 8 – 10 thousand word limits (including any AN's). Marvel & Katniss? To be honest, I hadn't given much thought to these two being a couple in my story. But maybe you're on to something….**

_**lincolnlog89**_**: So glad you liked the arena! Yep, Peeta had a twin. Nice twist, right? ;) Ninja stars will possibly kick some tribute butt soon! Read on to find out about Cato and Gale. I don't want you falling out of your seat, lol.**

_**Mhardman**_**: I'm so glad you found my insanity of a story! Its insaneness comes from trying to keep up with first the main characters. And now I'm trying to keep up with 72 tributes! Yep, I'm definitely crazy lol. You should also know that your kind words warmed my heart more than you'll ever know. **

_**MangoMagic**_**: You may definitely repeat yourself as often as you like! I certainly don't mind hearing (reading) it over and over again ;) And since I can't have my readers falling out of their seats, please read on. **

Chapter 8: The Tributes go into the Arena part 2

_Previously: Peeta saw Gale and Cato together. He called out to Gale while Clove called for Cato. Peeta grabs Cloves hand and they carefully run towards their friends. Peeta stops in his tracks when he notices the District 4 male come out of the jungle, knife in his hand, heading towards Cato and Gale. Everything seems to go in slow motion. The next thing Peeta sees are Gale and Cato flying through the air._

"_CATO!" Peeta screams._

Peeta sprints to Cato's side throwing his backpack to the ground. He rolls Cato onto his back, cradling his head in his lap struggling to get the backpack off Cato's back.

"No, no, no! Please be okay. I need to tell you I'm sorry. And I have so much more to tell you." Peeta says quietly, tears running down his cheeks. He sees a shadow fall over Cato's face and looks up to see Camille, his partner from the night of the luau, kneeling down on the other side of Cato removing the backpack from Cato's other shoulder.

"Peeta please let me help." She says, gently pulling Cato from Peeta's lap to lie flat on the ground.

Peeta lets go of Cato, vaguely aware that Clove is with Gale, helping him to slowly sit up. He watches as Camille leans down to listen for Cato's breathing before checking his pulse.

"Peeta, I have to perform CPR. Do you know what that is?" she asks.

Peeta nods, tears still flowing down his face. "Please, just help him." He says quietly. He is barely aware that Clove and Gale crawled over next to him, each taking a hand. He watches as Camille tilts Cato's head, pinches his nose closed, and gives 2 breaths. Time seems to stand still as she gives compressions and breathes for Cato.

Just when Peeta is about to give up all hope, closing his eyes tightly, he hears Cato, "Peeta".

Peeta opens his eyes and pulls away from Gale and Clove. "I'm here Cato, right here." Peeta says, gently stroking Cato's cheek. "I'm so sorry for last night. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I was wrong for walking away from you like I did."

Cato turns his head towards Peeta. "No, I'm sorry for pushing you." He reaches up to touch Peeta's cheek. "Please don't cry." His voice is soft.

Peeta leans down and gives Cato a quick kiss. "They're tears of happiness now, I promise. How do you feel?"

"Like a brick wall hit me. What happened?"

"The boy from four that won with Rue the night of the luau was running after you guys with a knife. He stepped on a land mine. You and Gale went flying." Clove answers. "You were, well.., it's good to see your eyes, Muscles."

Peeta helps Cato to sit up. "Clove, Gale you're both here!" He looks at the red haired girl. "Who are you? You look familiar."

"That's Camille. She was my partner the other night. She saved your life." Peeta answers.

Just then they hear yelling, their names being called. The small group turns and sees the rest of their allies joining them, loaded down with weapons and bags.

"What happened?" asks Marvel, running over to the group, dropping an armful of weapons. He sees Cato and Peeta looking at each other, each with a hand on the others cheek, smiling at one another. "Are we interrupting anything?" he asks smirking.

"Stay," Peeta say to Cato, who rolls his eyes. Peeta stands up and looks at his friends who have joined them. They're dropping more weapons and bags on the ground. "Clove and I had seen Gale and Cato come out of the jungle and we called to them. As we were running to meet each other, the boy from four came out of the jungle behind them. He had a knife and was going after Cato. He stepped on a landmine and they all went flying. Camille," he points to the red haired girl, "gave Cato CPR. Then you guys showed up. Are you all okay?"

"Other than some bumps, bruises, and scrapes, I'm fine." Delly answers. "I'd really like to just rest awhile. Glim and I had a fairly busy day."

"What happened to the two of you?" asks Rue.

"Where to start. Let's see, I fell out of a tree retrieving a backpack and then we nearly drowned in the rain forest during a flash flood." Delly says. Noticing the shocked looks on the others faces she asks, "What? You guys didn't get swept up?"

Clove responds first, "No, we weren't in a rain forest. Peeta and I almost got lost in this huge brick maze."

"Cato and I nearly died in a sand storm in a desert." Gale says. "A maze huh?" he adds looking at Peeta.

"Thresh and I nearly froze to death on a frozen plain." Madge contributes, still a little confused.

"I was in a pine forest. It was rather calm." Camille says.

"I found Little Bird in a rundown city. She was trapped on an overturned bus by a boy from one and a girl from 4." Rie says, putting an arm around Rue who added, "It's where my tube came up."

"Marvel and I nearly got trapped in some caves." Katniss adds quietly. "It reminded me of the mines back home."

"I guess we all were lucky enough to enter an area with someone. Except for Rie, who found Rue. Thank you for protecting her by the way. Oh, and I'm guessing you were alone too Camille." says Thresh looking over to Rie and Rue first, then to Camille who just nods at him. "I wonder how many different areas there are."

"I'm glad I found her too. She reminds me a lot of someone back home." Rie says sharing look with Katniss. They were both thinking of Prim. "As for how many different areas, I guess we know there are at least seven."

Everyone just got lost in their thoughts. Some were thinking about the different areas, others were thinking of home. Peeta was thinking about how he could have lost not only Cato, but the rest of his allies. Cato was thinking that he was glad that Clove and Peeta had teamed up. Gale was thinking of how dangerous it was just to be standing around. Another tribute could attack them at any time.

"I don't feel safe here on this beach," Gale says suddenly, causing the others to jump. "We should move somewhere else before other tributes show up. We need to get a plan in action."

"No, I don't want to move Cato yet." Peeta says. "Let's go through what they brought first. We can move after that." He adds pointing towards the pile.

"Okay Peet. But it's really not safe here."

"I know Gale. Apparently there's a lot more to this arena than we thought. But we really shouldn't move him right now. In fact, you should probably be resting too." Peeta gives Gale a look that says as much.

"I'm fine Peet, really. Cato got the worst of the blast as he was closer to it. I was barely knocked out." Gale grins. "Clove made sure I was fine anyways."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Cato asks from his position on the ground.

Both boys turn to him, "No!" they say in unison. Cato pouts and Peeta sits back down next to him. "Please just rest for me." Peeta says.

Cato nods and takes Peeta's hand. "Fine, for you." Peeta smiles at the older boy.

Gale, Marvel, and Thresh keep an eye out as the girls, including Camille, go through the backpacks, bags and weapons that are in the pile. As Madge is going through a backpack, a knife flies through the air from the direction of the cornucopia and hits her in the shoulder. Marvel quickly turns and throws a spear at the figure on the nearby bridge and a cannon goes off. He runs to retrieve his spear and sees a girl from what he thinks is District 9. As he's running back on the bridge, he can feel it moving.

"Run faster Marvel, the cornucopia is sinking!" yells Gale. Marvel barely reaches the shore as the cornucopia is submerged, on the tip of the tail sticking out. The thirteen tributes watch in horror as they see a tribute in the water screaming for help.

"Oh my god, there are man-eating fish in there!" Camille exclaims. The twelve friends look at her with shock and confusion.

"You mean like mutts?" asks Glimmer.

"No, piranhas, I think. I read about them once in a book. That book was later burned by peacekeepers. We need to stay out of that lake." Camille says.

A cannon goes off.

"How many does that make?" asks Delly who has been helping Madge by removing the knife from her shoulder and wrapping a bandage on it.

"I think that's eighteen or nineteen." replies Rie. "But I'm not really sure."

"I say we head into the jungle there and set up camp for the night." Katniss says. "We don't need to go far. With some of us hurt –"

"I'm fine." Cato interrupts.

"We need to get to cover." Katniss finishes scowling at Cato.

Clove snickers behind her hand. Cato scowls at her. "Well, I am." he mutters. "Overprotective brats."

Peeta smiles standing up. He was the only one to hear Cato. He then helps Cato stand but only lets him carry a sword. They head into the jungle where Camille had emerged from. She leads them to a small clearing that she thinks should be safe enough. They all sit in a circle. Katniss begins pulling food out of one of the bags. She hands everyone some bread, dried meat, and dried fruit. Gale goes behind her handing out water. Camille sits next to Madge and begins to clean and rewrap her shoulder.

Peeta watches everyone eating, picking at his own food. He puts his hand up to the pocket watch under his suit. Cato watches him. He can see Peeta has something on his mind. He leans over to him whispering, "Everything okay Peeta?"

Peeta turns and gives Cato a sad smile. "Yeah. Just thinking about something. I need to talk to Rie for a minute. I'll be back."

Cato nods and watches Peeta get up and go over to whisper in Rie's ear. He watches Rie stand and the two walk out of earshot of the rest of the group, yet still within eye sight. He sees Peeta pull something out of his suit.

Peeta can feel several sets of eyes on him but ignores them as he looks at Rie. "I've got something to show you. It's from Dad." He pulls the waterproof pouch out and opens it. He pulls out the pocket watch and note.

"I recognize that watch! After mom kicked you out, Dad would sit at his desk late at night holding that watch and cry. He really missed you. He tried to get mom to change her mind about you. But you know how stubborn she is." Rie says looking at the watch. He looks up. "What's the note say?"

"Read for yourself." Peeta says handing the note to Rie. While Rie reads it, Peeta opens the watch.

Rie looks at Peeta confused. "I don't understand. I don't remember ever hearing about a sister." He takes the watch from Peeta. "This is you and her? What happened? How'd she die?"

"I don't know, I was kind of hoping you'd know something. I'd forgotten about the watch until yesterday when Portia gave it to me before the interviews. I opened the watch and the note fell out. I don't understand any of this Rie. And we're stuck in here until God knows when." Tears start falling down Peeta's cheeks. "I need answers Rie."

Rie pulls Peeta into a hug. "I understand Peet. I have questions too." Rie can see some of the looks coming from the group - Cato's worried eyes, Gale's concerned eyes, Katniss's anxious eyes, Glimmer's vexed eyes, and Rue's upset eyes. "What do you want to do now?" he asks, pulling away from Peeta.

"I think I.., no _we_, should share this with our friends. They deserve to know the truth, the whole truth. Especially Gale and Katniss. They were there for me and took care of me when I needed it most. They still do." He looks over to the group and gives a small smile. Turning back to Rie, he asks "Shall we?" Rie nods and they walk back to everyone.

"Everything okay Peeta?" little Rue asks. "You were crying. I don't like it when people are sad."

"Yeah Rue, things are okay." He answers, patting her on the head. "But I have a story to tell. It has to do with what you all heard during the interviews."

"Peeta, are you sure about this?" asks Gale. "I mean –"

"I know Gale." Peeta interrupts. " And yes, I'm sure. I need to talk about it. I can't run and hide from the past anymore. Besides, I think what you're about to hear will shock you." Rie puts his hand on Peeta's shoulder. He continues. "As some of you don't know the story, I'll start with the day my life changed." Peeta could see the confused look on the faces of those not from district 12. "Six years ago, I purposely burnt some bread to give to Katniss who needed it to help her family." All eyes turn to Katniss who just looks down at her folded hands. "My mother caught me and began...to…," Peeta takes a deep breath looking over to Rie; "Well, she beat me. Really bad. Threw me out in the street, disowning me. But luck was on my side. Gale found me, took me took Katniss's mom who is a healer, and even offered me a place to live." All eyes look at Gale who just shrugs his shoulders. "I spent the last six years with his amazing family who treated me with kindness and love, like a real member of their family." He pauses, smiling at the memories of his adopted family. "But then the six of us were reaped. My parents came to see me and my dad gave me this pocket watch." He holds the watch for all to see. "I just shoved it into my pocket and had totally forgotten about it. Yesterday, before the interviews, Portia gave it back to me. When I opened it I found this note and picture." He opens the watch and shows the picture and note. He hands the watch and note to Gale first. As they make their way around the circle, Peeta continues. "The picture is of me…and my twin sister, Michetta. A sister that died two days after we were born. A sister _we _never knew about." He looks at Rie and smiles.

"How often did your mother hit you?" asks Cato, barely able to keep the anger and disgust down.

Peeta walks to Cato and squats in front of him, looking him directly in the eyes. "Too often. But she can't hurt me anymore. Please, its history. Can you let it go?"

There's a slight pause. "A sister, huh? I wonder if she'd have been as cute as you." Cato says, eyes twinkling when he sees Peeta blush. He pulls Peeta down to sit in front of him, his back to Cato's chest. He wraps his arms around Peeta's waist and whispers in his ear, "No one will ever lay a hand on you again, not as long as I live."

Peeta turns his head to look at Cato. Cato leans down and kisses Peeta's lips, cutting off anything Peeta was about to say. Before the kiss could deepen, a voice interrupts.

"Get a room you two," Gale says covering Rue's eyes. "There's a child here for heaven's sake." Everyone laughs.

"I'm rather curious as to how long this has been going on between the two of you, little brother. Is this why you two went to training alone together?" asks Rie rather suggestively, sitting down between Delly and Camille. He smiles at Peeta.

Peeta tucks his head under Cato's chin, closing his eyes, flush with embarrassment. Cato wraps his arms a little tighter. "Just accept this Mellark. I care about Peeta and I'm going to protect him from now on. Nothing bad is going to happen to him on my watch."

"I'll accept that Cato and I will hold you to it. If anything does happen to him, I'll personally hold you responsible." Rie says, half joking. "And call me Rie please."

"Deal." Is all Cato said.

"Well now that that's out of the way," begins Clove, "Something is bothering me about your situation Bread Boy. You say you two never knew you had a sister and your dad's note said no one ever knew. Who delivered the baby? I mean, someone else had to be there, right? Your dad's a baker not a doctor."

Katniss looks at Rie then Peeta. "Mom delivers babies back in twelve all the time. I wonder if she knows who delivered you and your sister."

Peeta and Rie share a look that baffles Katniss. "What? What do you two know?"

Peeta answers. "When I was five and Rie six, dad walked us to school that first day. Wheet had gone ahead to walk with his friends. You were with your dad. I must have been staring because I remember my dad looking at me then over to you. He got down to our level and said 'that's Katniss Everdeen. I was going to marry her mother'."

"I asked what happened." Says Rie, smiling at Peeta. "He said 'see that man?' We both nodded."

"Dad continued, 'When he sings, even the birds stop to listen. A baker has no chance against that. So I let her go' He stood up and sent us to the teacher." Peeta finishes. "You sang that day, the valley song. And I swear the birds stopped to listen to you."

Katniss blushes. "Dad was a great singer, I'm nowhere near as good as he was. Thank you for thinking that though Peeta."

"Plus, if our mother knew anything about your mom and our dad, I doubt she'd even let her in the door." Rie says sadly. "Everyone in twelve knows how she feels about those living in the seam."

"Okay, I'm a little confused now." Says Marvel. "What's 'the seam' and why does your mother hate the people there?"

Gale speaks up. "There are two parts to District 12. Three if you count the Victor's Village, but since Haymitch is the only one living there… Anyway, there's the 'town' which is where all the businesses are. People from there look like Peeta, Rie, Delly, and Madge – blonde hair, blue eyes, light skin tones. Those from the 'seam' look more like Katniss and I - dark hair, gray eyes, olive skin tones. We are raised to work in the coal mines or do any other menial jobs. The two parts of the district don't get along."

"Okay, but when we watched the reapings we saw Katniss volunteer for a blonde hair, blue eyed little girl. Wasn't she your sister Katniss?" asks Glimmer.

"Yes, Prim is my sister. My mother wasn't from the seam, her parents ran the apothecary shop in town. When my mom married my dad, they disowned her. I took after my dad and Prim looks like my mom."

"You talk about your dad in the past tense, what happened to him?" asks Camille.

Marvel grabs Katniss's hand and gives it a squeeze. "You know you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." He tells her.

"I can tell them Catnip. If you want." Gale says. Katniss just nods her head at Gale before laying her head on Marvel's shoulder.

"Her father died in a mine explosion. But he wasn't alone. My dad was with him." Gale says. Rue hugs him.

"Just a couple months later, Peeta came along and saved my family with that burnt bread. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would have happened, if I'd even be here now." adds Katniss feeling Marvel's arm going around her shoulder.

Everyone just sits and thinks about what they've heard. For Marvel, Thresh, and Cato, Lyme's words come back to them, '_They gave you very high praises – saying how you overcame a painful childhood and are one of the strongest people they know. I personally don't think they meant just physically.'_ Each boy had a new respect for Peeta.

Cato whispers in Peeta's ear, "I think I understand now what Lyme meant up on the roof that night about you. Even she could see your goodness, putting others first."

Peeta doesn't say anything. He just places a kiss on Cato's jaw.

"I think we've all learned enough about District 12 for now." Says Thresh teasingly. "What's the plan now?"

"First, I think Camille should be officially part of this alliance." Peeta says as he snuggles closer against Cato remembering how he almost lost him. Twice if he counts the dust storm.

"I'll second that. Thank you for saving me." Cato says to Camille. It was sincere. He's just happy to have Peeta in his arms.

"Whoa! Muscles just thanked someone! Didn't think those words were really in your vocabulary." Clove grins. "And I also think Camille should be with us."

The rest all nod their heads in agreement.

"Well, I can't say no to you guys now can I? But please, call me Foxface. All my friends do." Foxface says.

"Cool. Now we need to decide who has watch tonight and where we should go tomorrow." Madge says. "There's plenty of blankets and weapons for everyone."

"I'll do a watch." Cato volunteers.

Peeta turns to face Cato, "The hell you will! You nearly died! And don't even try arguing with me. You are _not_ doing a watch!"

Cato is angry but when he sees the concern, fear, sadness, and something he can't quite place in Peeta's eyes, he backs down. "Fine, but you stay with me tonight. If I'm not going to do a watch, neither are you."

Peeta smiles smugly as he resumes his position against Cato, who wraps his arms around Peeta once again. Peeta winks at Clove who is snickering behind her hand yet again and then turns to smile at Rue who looks at the two boys like they're crazy.

Clove is loving the back and forth between Cato and Peeta. She always thought her friend needed someone like Peeta, someone who'd give as well as take. With them being in the arena, hopefully rescued, she hoped they would get to see their relationship grow.

"Since Cato and Peeta are out, how about Clove and I take first watch, Thresh and Delly take the second watch, Marvel and Katniss the third watch, and Rie and Glimmer take the fourth watch." Gale suggests.

"Works for me." Thresh says. The rest just nod in agreement.

Just then the anthem blared. The teens looked up and watched the sky. The deaths, shown by video, were as followed:

District 2 female – killed by Katniss

District 3 female – killed by Thresh

District 3 female – killed by drowning

District 4 male (Fischer) – killed by landmine

District 4 female – killed by lava flow

District 5 male – killed by light beam in maze

District 6 male – killed by drowning

District 6 male – killed by lava flow

District 7 male – killed by Clove

District 7 male – killed by drowning

District 7 female – killed by drowning

District 8 male – killed by drowning

District 8 female – killed by lava flow

District 8 female – killed by drowning

District 9 male – killed by light beam in maze

District 9 female – killed by Marvel

District 9 female – killed by drowning

District 10 male – killed by lava flow

District 10 female – killed by piranha

District 11 male – killed by lava flow

The anthem plays again to signal the end of the videos. Soon after, three more cannons went off signaling three more deaths.

"The videos plus the three cannons means 23 deaths so far. I thought the count would be higher." Delly comments.

"There probably would have been had we all been closer to the cornucopia." Cato says. "If you add those deaths to the 13 of us, that leaves 36 tributes left."

"That's half the tributes." Rue pipes in. "We have a really good chance."

"You got that right Little Bird. Especially now that we're all together now." Rie smiles at Rue.

"We have about three hours before we are able to receive anything from our mentors. I say we settle down for the night. Try to get some sleep. Clove and I will stay on watch until about midnight when we will wake Thresh and Delly. Those that get parachutes will also be awakened." Gale says. "Sound fair to everyone?"

They all nod and start getting ready to bunk down for the night.

Thresh lies down between Rue and Delly, Marvel lies next to Katniss, Glimmer next to Rie, and Madge and Foxface lie next to each other. Cato leans back against a tree and pulls Peeta with him so that he's on Cato's lap. Clove hands out the blankets. "No funny business Muscles!" she whispers to Cato as she hands Peeta a blanket. "Hands where I can see them, both of you." Both boys blush but do as she says. She snickers as she sits across from Gale.

The next three hours pass quietly. Before Gale or Clove have a chance to wake Thresh and Delly, a couple parachutes fall around the camp. One lands by Madge, one by Glimmer, one in the center of camp, and a rather large one next to Peeta and Cato. Gale wakes Thresh and Delly while Clove wakes Madge, Glimmer, Peeta, and Cato. Madge receives medicine for her wound. Glimmer got a hair brush. Peeta opens the one by him and Cato. He takes out the note from Haymitch first.

_Whatever you two Loverboys have going on, keep it up. The Capitol loves it! This was chosen by a very generous sponsor for the two of you._

_-H_

Peeta shows Cato the note before he pulls a large black bag out of the metal container. As he goes to open it Glimmer looks over and squeals, "I know what that is! We have one at home. It's a high-tech, self-inflating/deflating air mattress. They're really comfortable and hard to destroy."

"Open it Peeta. Let's use it." Cato says. Peeta gives him an odd look. Cato pouts. "I almost died today. You want me comfortable don't you?"

Peeta shakes his head, smiling. "Now you use that as an excuse. Fine. But you're going to help me." Cato smiles widely causing Peeta's heart to flutter. They get it set up. The mattress is large enough to hold four people.

"Let's put Rue on here with us, Cato. She's just a child. We should protect her."

"Okay. There is plenty of room. Thresh, you want to bring her over?" Cato asks before looking at the younger boy next to him. "You know Peeta, you are a far better person than me. I never would have thought to share."

Thresh lifts Rue gently and puts her on the mattress without waking her. He covers her with the blanket that Clove brought over.

Peeta notices the package in the middle of camp. "What's in there Gale?"

"Let's take a look." Gale replies. He opens the container. Inside he finds 52 fish shaped green rolls and a windup toy – a little bird.

Peeta takes and winds up the toy. He watches as the bird flies right above his palm. He looks at the rolls. They look so very familiar, but he can't place why.

"I don't get it Peeta. Why send 52 rolls and a toy?" Gale asks. "Does any of this make sense to you?"

Peeta shakes his head. "We can figure it out in the morning. Let's put this bird back and cover those rolls. At least we can have a good breakfast." He gives the bird to Thresh who puts it all away and tucks the container into a backpack. Everyone lies down except Thresh and Delly who take over the watch. Peeta is now lying with his head on Cato's shoulder. He can see Rue from where he is. For some reason, he thinks she's connected to the clue, but his tired mind can't figure it out. He closes his eyes and is soon asleep.

When he wakes up, he sees that most everybody is awake. He thinks Cato is still asleep as are Katniss and Marvel. Katniss is cuddled up to Marvel's side, similar to the way he is with Cato. He feels Cato's hand rubbing on his back. He tilts his head to look at the older boy. "Morning Peeta. Sleep well?"

"Morning Cato. I slept very well. And you?"

"I did too." Cato tilts his head up to kiss the top of Peeta's head. "As much as I'd like to stay like this all day, I don't think the others would approve." They get up and pack the mattress back up. They fit the whole thing into the largest backpack.

When Katniss and Marvel wake up a short time later, Thresh pulls out the package they'd received the night before. He passes the bird to those who didn't see it the night before. Peeta is holding one of the rolls and thinks about the clues. Cato is next to him. He can see that Peeta is thinking hard and leaves him to it. They both hear Rie talking to Rue.

"There you go Little Bird, a breakfast fit for a princess."

Peeta snap his head to face his brother. "What did you say?" he asks.

Rie looks at Peeta confused. "What do you mean?"

"You called Rue 'Little Bird' right?"

"Yes. It's my nickname for her."

Peeta looks at the roll in his hand. Suddenly it all makes sense! "I got it!" he exclaims standing up. His sudden outburst startles everyone.

"Peet, calm down and explain." Gale says.

"I am calm. Oh, it all makes perfect sense." Peeta runs his hands through his hair.

"Um, Peeta, you want to fill the rest of us in?" Cato asks.

Peeta looks down at Cato. He smiles before leaning down and giving him a loud, smacking kiss. "Oh dear Cato, all in good time." He turns to the rest of the group. "Be patient for a moment." As Peeta tries to find a way to tell his friends without tipping off the game makers, another parachute lands near him. He leans down and picks the container up.

_Meanwhile, back in the Mentor Room -_

Haymitch watches the flat screen. He sees his tributes meeting up together. The plan is starting to come together. He sits up when the picture changes to show the District 4 male running up behind Gale and Cato. Haymitch watches in horror as the boys go flying through the air. Then he hears Peeta scream. He watches as the young blonde boy cries over the larger one and as the red haired girl performs CPR. Behind him he hears a crashing sound. He turns and sees Finnick leaving the room. He debates going after Finnick. He looks up at the flat screen and sees Peeta kissing the other boy.

"Effie, keep an eye on our kids, will ya?" he asks standing up.

"I'll be fine. Go check on him." Effie replies, unable to stop watching. She's curious to see how the rest of the group on the screen is going to react to Peeta and the large blonde boy.

Haymitch finds Finnick in an empty room, filled with cots. "Is this a bad time Finn?"

Finnick looks up, sees Haymitch and shakes his head. "No, come in. I just couldn't stay in there, watching my Peeta Bread crying over that muscled up brute."

Haymitch sits on a cot. He waits as Finnick sits across from him. "As your friend, I'm not going to beat around the bush. You had your chance with Peeta. You wanted to break it off with him. Now you want him back don't you?"

"Yes, I want him back! I love him! I only ended things because I thought I loved Annie. But it wasn't her, it was never her." Finnick cries, tears falling down his face.

"This is going to be hard for you to hear but I saw Peeta kiss the other boy." Haymitch watched Finnick flinch at that. "Those two boys like each other. It's going to be hard but you're going to have to let go of Peeta now. He's finally gotten over you and has moved on. Be happy for him."

"But what if I can't?" Finnick says sorrowfully.

Haymitch stands up, putting a hand on Finnick's shoulder. "Stay in here and get yourself together. I'll have Mags take over for now. I know how hard this is for you. I'm here for you if you need me."

Haymitch walks out of the room. He could hear Finnick sobbing. He closes the door to give the man some privacy. He really did feel for the younger man. He also knew things were about to get much harder for him having to watch the two young boys discover their feelings for one another. Man, what he wouldn't give for a bottle of anything strong right now.

He walks back to the Mentor room and goes over to Mags to explain that Finnick would be back later, that he needed some time. Mags just smiled sadly up at him. He went back over to Effie.

"What'd I miss?" he asks, sitting back in his chair.

"They've just talked about the different areas they were in. Then Gale and Peeta were discussing staying put for Cato, who wasn't happy they left him out of the discussion." She giggles remembering that. "Now they're going through – Oh no! Madge has been hit with a knife!"

Haymitch looks up to see the boy from one – Martin? Marvel? – throw his spear at someone. He hears the cannon go off. He watches as the cornucopia sinks and another tribute dies. He hopes that his kids will find somewhere a little safer to hide for the night. He knows that the four tributes from Districts 1 and 2 will want to hunt for more tributes as that's what they were raised to do. He relaxes as they go back into the jungle.

His interest piques again when the two brothers go off to talk alone. He listens to their conversation.

"_I've got something to show you. It's from Dad."_

"_I recognize that watch! After mom kicked you out, Dad would sit at his desk late at night holding that watch and cry. He really missed you. He tried to get mom to change her mind about you. But you know how stubborn she is. What's the note say?"_

"_Read for yourself."_

"_I don't understand. I don't remember ever hearing about a sister. This is you and her? What happened? How'd she die?"_

"_I don't know, I was kind of hoping you'd know something. I'd forgotten about the watch until yesterday when Portia gave it to me before the interviews. I opened the watch and the note fell out. I don't understand any of this Rie. And we're stuck in here until God knows when. I need answers Rie."_

"_I understand Peet. I have questions too. What do you want to do now?" _

"_I think I.., no we, should share this with our friends. They deserve to know the truth, the whole truth. Especially Gale and Katniss. They were there for me and took care of me when I needed it most. They still do. Shall we?" _

Haymitch feels sick to his stomach. He listens to Peeta tell the story to the others. He remembers Peeta hobbling around on that fricken cast. He felt sorry for the kid. Then when he met the three in the forest, he knew that boy would be special. It's why he wanted him trained by the best of District 13. If anyone can rally the nation, Peeta could. The boy was their best hope. His thoughts are interrupted by an Avox. She hands him a note. He reads:

_Meet me in the lounge at 10 pm sharp. We have something to discuss._

_~T_

He looks up at the clock, not realizing how long he'd been reminiscing. He has less an hour. He looks at his tributes. He sees Gale and the District 2 Girl sitting on watch while the others go to sleep. He sees Peeta on Cato's lap and quickly turns to look for Finnick. He sees him at his station. Fortunately his flat screen is not showing the two boys. It's one less thing for Haymitch to worry about at the moment.

Haymitch arrives in the lounge with a few minutes to spare. He looks around trying to find a quiet spot to sit. He can see Cashmere talking to a pink skinned woman dressed in a lime green sundress, Brutus talking to a blue skinned man dressed in a bright purple suit, and Johanna talking to a couple dressed in matching yellow slacks and button up shirts. He turns and sees Lyme talking to someone in a hooded cloak. He realizes it must be a contact for District 13. He turns back around to see Tigris walking towards him.

"Hello Haymitch" she purrs as she sits by him.

"Hello Tigris. How are you?" asks Haymitch.

"I'm well. I'm here about those two blonde boys. I know that one of them is from your district." Tigris replies getting right to the point. She pulls out her tablet and points to an object. "Several of my Capitol friends have donated very generously for this item. They want it sent to the boys. They just love them."

Haymitch looks at the object on the screen. It's a high tech air mattress, very expensive. "They want to send a bed?"

"Yes," purrs Tigris. "The money has already been put into Peeta's account. As soon as the game makers allow it, send it. Word on the street is that everyone is rooting for them, that the game makers will allow both boys to win."

Haymitch isn't exactly shocked to hear that. Capitol citizens love a good romance. "Okay, I'll send it. But you are aware of the other plans, right?" Hinting at the rebellion.

"Of course darling. But we all need to keep up appearances now don't we?"

With that, she gets up and leaves. Haymitch watches as she goes, thankful for some sort of news from the outside. Even if it is knowing that the citizens are hoping for the deaths of his other 5 kids. He gets up and heads back to relieve Effie for a couple hours.

As soon as Effie leaves, he begins to check the balances of his kids. They all have money, but Peeta has almost 10 times as much as the others. He decides to send some ointment to Madge and the bed to Peeta as requested. He punches in the orders and waits until midnight to make sure they're sent.

Haymitch looks over to Finnick. He sees the bronze haired man staring at the large screen but not really seeing it. He sighs as he stands and goes over to sit with Finnick.

"How are you holding up?" Haymitch asks.

Finnick looks over at Haymitch. His eyes are bloodshot and Haymitch could tell he'd been crying again. "I've been better." Finnick looks down at his lap. "I saw Peeta telling the others about his past. That Cato kid got really upset. Peeta calmed him right down." He looks at Haymitch again. "Peeta really likes him, doesn't he? I saw them kiss and they're sleeping together. Well, Peeta's sleeping in his lap."

"He really does Finnick. I wish I could say something to take away your pain." Haymitch says sadly, really wanting to help the younger man.

"Thanks Haymitch, but I'm going to have to deal with this myself." Finnick looks back up at the screen. "Oh, before I forget, the plan goes into effect on the fourth day. Be ready."

"Thank you Finnick, I will." Haymitch gets up and goes back to his own screens. At midnight he sees the kids get their parachutes. He smiles as Peeta suggests putting Rue on the mattress. 'That boy is far too nice' he thinks to himself. He begins to wonder how a boy like Peeta came from such an evil woman. Worse still, he can't believe that he's related to that witch. Memories of what happened eighteen years ago begin to swirl in his head.

As the tributes begin to wake up, Effie joins him. Before he goes to bed himself, he sends in six more parachutes.

_Back in the arena_

As Peeta picks up his parachute, he sees one land in front of Rie. The two brothers look at one another, shock and confusion written over their faces. Rie stands and goes over to Peeta. They open their containers together, the eyes of their companions glued to them. Inside the containers is a cheesy bun and a note.

_We need to have a talk. It's important. _

_There's more to the story._

_-H_

The two brothers look at each other. Both are even more confused. A voice startles them.

"Peeta? Rie? What's going on?" They both turn to look at Gale.

The eleven other members of their group are standing there looking at them with curiosity. Neither boy can say anything.

Cato walks up to Peeta. "Are you okay? You guys are scaring us."

Peeta looks up at Cato. He just hands him his container. Cato reads the note. "I don't understand," he says. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know," Peeta replies quietly. "Can you just hold me for a minute?"

Cato hands Peeta's container to Gale before wrapping his arms around Peeta. He feels Peeta's arms go around him. "It'll be okay Peeta." He whispers in the younger boy's ear. He can feel Peeta shaking his head.

"I don't think so." Peeta whispers back.

The rest of the group sit back down to try and help Rie figure out Haymitch's cryptic message.

"What story is he talking about?" Gale asks.

Rie shrugs his shoulders. "I honestly don't know Gale. I'm just so confused."

"I might know," a small voice says. All eyes turn towards Rue. She is playing with the bird that came with the clue from the night before.

"What do you mean Little One?" Thresh asks.

Rue looks up. She turns her eyes first to Rie than to Peeta. "I mean, Peeta told us about what happened to him when he was younger."

Peeta can feel Cato tense up. He looks up and into Cato's stormy eyes. "Calm down Cato. It's over, remember?" Cato relaxes and kisses Peeta's forehead. Peeta smiles at him and turns his head to Rue, "I told a couple stories last night, not just about me."

"I know Peeta," Rue says smiling. "But it's the only story that also involved Rie, who also got the same message. That's got to mean something."

"But Katniss and Gale were also in that story Rue. They didn't get a parachute." Marvel points out.

"True. But the main story was about Peeta. Gale and Peeta are like brothers and Katniss is like their sister," replies Rue. "But Peeta and Rie are brothers, related by blood."

"That does makes a lot of sense Rue." Clove says. "You're scary smart."

Just then two more parachutes land. This time in front of Delly and Madge. Everyone jumps. Cato and Peeta break apart but Cato grabs Peeta's hand. The two girls just stare at the containers.

"Well, aren't you going to open them?" Glimmer asks exasperated.

Delly picks hers up and waits for Madge to get hers. Madge picks hers up and looks at Delly, "On the count of three?" Delly nods.

"1…2…3!" Both girls open the containers and gasp. Inside is a cheesy bun and a note.

_We need to have a long talk_

_-H_

"Madge, are you as freaked out as me?" asks Delly, fear lacing her quiet voice.

"Maybe more." Madge replies in the same tone of voice.

"Um, girls, care to share with the rest of us?" asks Foxface.

"Sorry, just really confused," Madge replies. "It seems Haymitch needs to talk to me."

"Me too." Delly adds, looking at Madge, Rie, and then Peeta.

"Ooh, a mystery," Glimmer squeals. "I love a good mystery!"

Peeta looks up at the sky. "Haymitch, if you're there, this is not funny. In fact, it's downright creepy!"

No one says anything. They're waiting for something to happen. Nothing does.

"Well, as fun as this morning has been, I still have questions about last night's delivery." Marvel says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Peeta said he had it figured out." Clove says, turning to face the boy. "Care to explain Bread Boy?"

Peeta looks at Cato, still unsure as to how to explain the clue. Cato gives Peeta's hand a squeeze, encouraging him to explain. "Well, I'm not sure how to explain it right now," he confesses. "Did everyone get their _four_ rolls from District _four_ this morning?" He watches as everyone nods confusedly before continuing. "Even you, _Little Bird_?"

As Rue nods her head, realization hits Rie first. "Oh. OH!"

The next person to figure it out was Rue. "I see now. Very clever."

"Well, I wish someone would explain it to me! It's driving me crazy." Glimmer exclaims, throwing her hands in the air.

"I thought you _loved _a good mystery Glitter Girl." Clove snickers.

"Very funny, _Clover_. I noticed you haven't figured it out yet either." Glimmer snarls.

"Okay, that's enough you two." Gale says calmly. "Fighting with one another is not helpful to the rest of us. Peet, do we have time to figure this out?" he asks looking at Peeta.

"Yes, and maybe we'll get something new tonight." He says.

Just then two more parachutes come in. This time in front of Katniss and Gale.

"Alright, now I'm freaked out." Marvel says. "Your mentor has gone off the deep end guys."

Katniss and Gale just look at each other before opening their 'gift'. Inside was a biscuit and a note. Katniss reads hers aloud,

_Stop sitting around. It's time to go 'hunting'_

_-H_

"Peeta, your mentor is definitely a creeper!" Cato says.

"I think your right Cato." Peeta replies.

The group starts packing up their supplies and getting ready to hunt down other tributes. The temperature in the arena started to get hotter so everyone peeled off their neoprene suits, thankful for the cotton clothes underneath.

"Peet, I almost forgot. These were in a backpack Cato and I found." Gale hands Peeta the ninja stars. "We saved them for you."

"Thank you Gale. Thanks Cato." Peeta smiles taking the stars from Gale.

Cato leans down, "You can thank me properly later," he whispers suggestively in Peeta's ear.

Peeta blushed a deep red color before whispering back, "Why wait?" he asks, dropping the stars.

Cato looked at Peeta wide eyed. Peeta slides his hand up Cato's chest, silently admiring the firm, toned muscles under his hand, before curving it behind Cato's neck, gently pulling the taller boy closer to his lips. When their lips touch, Cato lets out a low growl before wrapping his hands around Peeta's waist and pulling their bodies closer. The kiss begins to deepen. Peeta runs his tongue along Cato's lower lip, silently asking for access. Cato instantly opens up. His letting Peeta take control was a new experience for the older boy. When their tongues began battling for dominance, they hear a quiet cough coming from behind them. They jump apart, both red faced.

"Sorry to interrupt," Gale says, not sounding the least bit sorry at all. "But it's time to go." He chuckles as he turns away, walking to the rest of the group who are also chuckling.

Cato turns to Peeta. "We'll continue _this _later," he says with a wink before picking up his sword and backpack.

Peeta gathers his stuff, including the stars he dropped putting them in a small pocket of his bag. He looks up at Cato, taking his hand, and they follow the rest of the group back to the beach from the day before.

**So, Cato's fine and Peeta apologized, the group knows Peeta's past, Finnick is letting go and Haymitch has some secrets he needs to spill. I personally liked this chapter, but if you didn't please feel free to let me know.**


	9. Chapter 9 Day 2 Tribute Hunting

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello my lovey readers. Here is chapter 9! I have to tell my reviewers just how much your words really inspire me to want to quickly get these chapters posted! **** Unfortunately, family and work have to come first, especially when you work from home. (I care for 2 developmentally challenged people.) December is a very busy month for us all. It doesn't help when you lose your notes for the chapter either. **

_**Mhardman:**_** 'awesome fanfiction'? Your flattery is giving me a big ego boost lol! And I promise to not stop writing until the end of the story. **

_**lincolnlog89:**_** I absolutely love Peeta and Cato as a couple and also think they are adorable, especially when Cato becomes protective of Peeta! Poor Finnick is definitely a screw up as far as Peeta is concerned. Haymitch can't really spill his guts until the kids get out, but who makes it out is still unknown… **

_**Rolyn:**_** If chapter 8 was your favorite, I need to step up my game ;) Finnick has moved on, but will he stay out of the picture for long? We'll have to wait and see. As for Katniss and Marvel, I researched and not a lot of stories about the two of them. You actually influenced me about them, so I'm going to see where they go. As for Gale not being with her, I never liked him with her, not even in Suzanne's original story.**

_**MangoMagic:**_** 'awesome chapter'? I'm touched you think so. I've always felt a good story shows characters growing and adapting to the things happening around them. Does that make any sense? I knew when I originally conceived this story with so many characters that I wanted them **_**all**_** to have a part, as well as a voice, in this story. Haymitch stopped drinking for the kids, seemed like being a good mentor would be the next logical step. Finnick's character is, in my mind, an antagonist for Peeta and now Cato too. Foxface is going to have an important role soon. Clove with a sense of humor is fun to write about. Cato and Peeta. I don't know why there aren't more fans of these two. I adore them! As for Cato "playing" with Peeta, shall we read on to see? ;)**

_**Insanitywriter:**_** Message? Oh, well I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out lol. The story is still rather young but for now I'm exploring Marvel and Katniss. Haymitch's secrets - He can't even tell what he knows until the kids get out. I can guarantee its big and not going to be expected!**

Chapter 9: Day 2: Tribute Hunting

When Cato and Peeta catch up to the rest of the group and they reach the beach, the decision is made to split up into two groups to hunt for tributes. The first group would go into the jungle and search through an area for tributes while the second group would stay behind and hide in the jungle to watch for tributes looking for the cornucopia. The two groups would meet again around sunset to await anymore parachutes with more 'clues'. The first group consisted of Marvel, Clove, Thresh, Katniss, Peeta, and Madge. The second group consisted of Glimmer, Cato, Foxface, Rue, Rie, Delly, and Gale.

The plan was separating Cato and Peeta for the first time since they made up. Cato wasn't very happy about being separated from Peeta, wanting to spend more time with the younger boy.

"Peeta, why don't you switch with Gale? We can be together, talking, and getting to know each other. I have a lot I want to ask you," his voice pleading. "Please?"

"As much as your idea appeals to me, and believe me I would love to stay with you, I want, no I need to learn more about the arena. You're needed here. Besides, if I stayed we'd be too 'distracted' and let tributes get past us," Peeta replies flirtingly.

"Okay, fine. But you if you come back with even one scratch on you, I will not let you out of my sight again." Cato leans down to whisper in Peeta's ear, "I plan on doing a very thorough search when you get back too."

Peeta shivers before looking at Cato with a flirty smile before leaning up to give him a quick kiss. Cato wanted more, to taste his lips again. But after the teasing earlier he wasn't going to push his luck. Instead he decided he was going to figure out a way to get Peeta alone tonight. Maybe they could take a watch together as he feels much better after yesterday.

_**Group 1**_

The group heads out, past the crater and the section of jungle where Gale and Cato had emerged from the day before. They finally enter the jungle and begin their trek into a hopefully unknown territory. They fan out to cover more ground staying within eyesight of each other, keeping an eye out for other tributes.

About half an hour later, they come across two tributes. Clove and Marvel take out one together while; shocking the others, Madge takes out the other. Clove throws two of her knives, one hitting the hand of the tribute that held a knife. Her other knife hitting in the leg at the same time as Marvel's spear hits the tribute in the chest. As they go to gather their weapons, Madge spots a tribute trying to sneak past the group. She pulls out her bow and an arrow and hits the tribute in the neck. He falls near Thresh, who was ready to attack with his scimitar. Two cannons go off. Thresh retrieves Madge's arrow and the group forges ahead.

An hour later, they find themselves walking out of the jungle and looking at a wondrous sight – the African savannah, not that they know what that is. All they see is that it's a beautiful vista that appears before them.

"I wish Camille, uh Foxface, was here. She'd probably know what we're looking at," Katniss says wistfully.

"I wish I had my sketch book to draw this. It's absolutely breathtaking," Peeta says a gleam in his eye. What he doesn't add, but the others knew, is that he wishes that Cato was there to see it too. As they stand there taking in the sights, a parachute lands in front of Peeta. Everyone watches as he opens it to find a sketch book, two pencils, a box of colored pencils, and a note. Peeta reads the note aloud.

_It's an ancient land called the African Savannah. Make your drawing one to remember._

_~E_

Peeta looks up at the sky. "Effie, you are an angel. Thank you." He blows her a kiss before he removes his backpack to put the items away, planning on drawing from memory.

"Hey Bread Boy, why don't you go climb one of those upside down tree looking thingies and wait for us. The rest of us will go in farther and see if we can find any more tributes." Clove suggests. She is intrigued to see if he's as good as their escort makes him sound.

"I agree with Clove, Peeta," adds Katniss. "I've seen your work and I bet this will be a nice challenge for you."

Madge pipes in. "I think you should stay as well. You are really talented; I've seen your work too. Plus, I bet the others left behind would have loved to have been here to see this, including your brothers."

"Marvel, Thresh I'll only stay if you agree as well," Peeta says looking at the other two members of the group that haven't spoken yet. "I have no problem sticking with the group and drawing this from memory."

"I say if you're as good as Katniss and Madge say you are, I have no problem with you staying," Marvel says. "I admit that I'd like to see your work."

"Stay Peeta, this may be an opportunity that you may never get again. Take it while you can," says Thresh. Peeta catches the hidden message – there may not be another chance for him to draw again for a while, especially if and when they get rescued.

"Thanks guys, but I'll only agree to this if we set a time to meet back here, say two hours?" he asks. "There are still a lot more tributes out there." They all agree to the two hour meet up time and as soon as Peeta is situated in the tree, they leave.

"See you in two hours Peet," Katniss calls back to him. He doesn't answer back as he's already begun to draw.

The heat of the savannah may have been the only saving grace for the group. Had it been cooler, the pride of lions they saw on a rocky outcrop not too far away could have killed them. They did find a watering hole that contained what they thought looked like floating logs. But when a pack of wild dogs approached for a drink, one of the 'logs' moved in to attack. Needless to say, the group moved away quickly and quietly, keeping a sharp eye out for more of the wildlife.

After an hour of walking and not finding any tributes, it was decided to head back to Peeta and possibly head to another part of the arena before regrouping with the rest of their friends for the night. Clove is leading the group back, flipping a knife in her hand as she walks. She sees something moving in the grass in front of her and throws the knife. When she goes to investigate what she hit, she finds an 8 foot long dead snake. She retrieves her knife. Thresh walks over and picks the snake up, wrapping it in a piece of plastic that was in his backpack. When asked why he was did it, he simply replied, "Foxface can tell us what it is." They continue on. They find Peeta still in his tree, his tongue sticking out over his bottom lip, as he is entirely focused on what he's doing.

"Hey Bread Boy! You might want to put your tongue away. If Cato finds out you were 'flashing' it at us, it could cause problems." She yells up at him laughing at her own joke.

Peeta is startled at Clove's voice, nearly falling out of the tree, so involved in getting the blending of colors in his drawing just right. He closes the book and puts everything in his backpack before climbing down. "I was able to get three drawings done. I can't wait to show everyone! You guys don't mind waiting do you?" He takes off his backpack to take a drink of water.

"We can wait Peeta. We want to try –"

Before Katniss can finish her sentence, Peeta has pulled out his ninja stars and, flicking his wrist, shoots them past the group in a blur of silver. The cannon goes off, startling them. It happened so fast even Clove was standing there with her mouth agape. As Peeta walks by her, he places two fingers under her chin to gently close her mouth.

"You might want to close your mouth Clover. You'll attract flies," he says teasingly. She pouts back, folding her arms across her chest. "Flies know better than to mess with me," she mutters causing Peeta to chuckle.

Peeta walks over to the body noticing that three of the stars hit the male tribute in the chest while the fourth star hit him in the neck. Sadly they were too deeply imbedded in the body to remove. He goes back to the group empty handed.

"Peeta, that was amazing! You're almost as good as Clove and her knives," Marvel exclaims. "Sorry you lost your stars though." Peeta gives him a shrug before turning to Katniss.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you a moment ago. What were you saying?" he asks.

"J-just that we th-thought we should try g-going to another part of the arena," she replies still in shock at how fast Peeta moved, at how fast everything had happened.

"Sounds good to me. Shall we?" he asks gesturing towards the jungle as he puts his backpack back on.

As they walk along, Peeta begins asking questions about what they saw. They tell him about the pride of lions on the rocks, the pack of wild dogs, and the 'floating logs'. While the descriptions were less than ideal, he still tried to imagine what they saw. He was kind of regretting staying behind to draw. Madge could see that he was a little disappointed and promised that they would sit down and give him better descriptions for him to draw. He smiled and thanked her.

Clove walks up to Peeta a short time later, bumping him with her hip, "Hey Peeta, Marvel was right when he said that you were amazing with those stars. Sorry you lost them. I was hoping that you'd give me lessons if you get anymore."

Peeta looks over at her, "Thanks Clove. I would love to teach you."

There was something in his voice that made her look up at him and sees he is upset. "What's wrong?"

He shakes his head, "I was just thinking about that boy I killed. I can't figure out why he was trying to sneak up on us. He wasn't even armed. Maybe I should have waited a minute to see what he wanted," Peeta says, the guilt seeping into his voice.

"You did the right thing Peeta. These are the Hunger Games," Thresh says from behind him. "It's kill or be killed. Besides, we don't need another person to worry about." Peeta just nods, knowing Thresh is right. There were 13 of them already in the group as it was.

The six group members quickly go through the jungle and once the reach the beach, continue down the beach to their right heading away from the seven others in their team. They jog along the edge of the jungle, aware of the threat of landmines along the beach keeping an eye out for hidden tributes. They pick a point in which to re-enter the jungle and jog to a small clearing. They stop long enough to eat something quickly and drink some water.

"We're going to have to find some water and soon. I'm getting low," Madge comments. The others nod in agreement. "Maybe we'll get lucky and this new area we're headed into will have water."

As they pack up their stuff and get ready to move on, they hear two cannon blasts. They share a look of hope for their friends before jogging deeper into the forest. When they reach the edge of the jungle, they are shocked to see what lies before them.

"This is where Rie found Rue," Thresh says quietly.

"Should we stay and explore or try again in another area?" asks Madge, a little shocked that they were in an area that one of them had already been.

"We could just go back to the group," Katniss suggests. The two blasts rattled her more than she cared to admit aloud. She was most worried about little Rue. Marvel could see the worry flash across her face and takes her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Peeta is conflicted. On the one hand they really did need to find water, on the other was the knowledge that this was where the rescue was to take place. He couldn't tell the others and tip off the game makers to their imminent rescue. He really wanted to explore the place to see if he could find where the rescue was to take place. He mentally made a note to mark a tree at the edge of the jungle by the beach to remind him where to go.

"Let's check a couple of buildings close by to see if we can find water," Clove suggests. "We can rejoin the others after that." She will never admit it, but she actually misses the others. She and Gale had spent their watch talking and she found him to be rather amusing.

"I agree with Clove. Water, then head back." Thresh says.

They head to the closest building, entering slowly and carefully. It looks like it's supposed to be a restaurant, tables and chairs scattered around, some tipped over or broken. There's dust and cobwebs everywhere. They realize this could be a good place to find water and split off into two groups; Peeta leads Thresh and Clove to the kitchen, while Marvel leads Katniss and Madge to the bathrooms.

In the kitchen, Thresh makes his way over to the sinks and checks the faucets but nothing comes out. Peeta decides to check the walk-in pantry for any extra food but just finds empty shelves. Clove notices a strange spot by the ovens and goes over. As she inspects the spot, a large piece of the roof comes crashing down on top of her. Thresh and Peeta carefully rush over to her and unbury her from the rubble. She appears to have just some scrapes and bruises forming. But when she tries to stand, she can't put any weight on her left ankle. Thresh offers to carry the two backpacks so that Peeta could carry Clove. He squats down so she can get up on his back. They head towards the bathrooms to get the others. Their trip now over.

In the bathrooms, Madge checks the sinks in the ladies room while Marvel checks the men's. Katniss stood between the doors to let one of them know if the other found water. The last faucet that Marvel check has a trickle of water. He calls out to Katniss as he pulls his empty water bottle out of his bag to fill it. The two girls rush in and get their empty bottles ready. As they fill up the last empty bottle, they hear a thumping noise but don't think much of it.

"I wonder if the others found water," Madge says zipping her bag.

"Let's go find out," Marvel replies heading to the door. As the three reach the main room, they are shocked to see Peeta carrying Clove and Thresh holding three backpacks.

"Oh my god!" Katniss exclaims. "What happened?"

"A chunk of roof fell on Clove. She hurt her ankle and can't walk." Thresh replies. "Did you find any water?"

Marvel takes one of the backpacks from Thresh, "We found some water in the men's room. We filled all the empties we had. We should fill yours while we're at it." They walk towards the bathroom to fill the other water bottles while the others wait.

"We may want to treat the water just in case." Clove says from Peeta's back when they come back. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Good idea Clove. We can do that when we get back to the others." Madge agrees leading the way to the door. They made their way to the jungle, moving slower for Peeta and Clove. As they near the beach, Peeta pulls a knife out of Cloves boot. "When we get closer, I want you to mark a tree so we can find our way back here," he whispers back to her, handing her the knife.

_**Group 2**_

Cato watches as Peeta leaves with the others before taking his post under the tree in which Rue had climbed to get a more panoramic view of the beach. To his left was Delly and Rie; to his right was Glimmer and Gale. Foxface was behind him somewhere, patrolling for tributes that could possibly sneak up from behind.

After a few minutes Rue quietly calls down to Cato, "They've entered the jungle. No sight of any other tributes yet."

"Okay. Thanks Rue." Cato says.

Time seems to be dragging. The group was feeling restless, wanting to see some action. Cato and Rue both jump when they hear two cannon blasts. Rue looks down at Cato smiling, "I'm sure Peeta's fine. He knows how to take care of himself and the others."

Cato smiles back, "I know. I'm just a little jealous of whoever is seeing some action," He sees her smile falter. "Sorry Rue. It's just that I've trained for these games for a long time and just sitting here is torture for me."

"It's okay Cato. I understand. I'll admit when I first saw you, you scared me. But now, well, I think of you like my big brother." She looks out towards the lake. "I, uh, never did thank you or Peeta for sharing your mattress last night. It was very comfortable."

"It was actually Peeta's idea. He has a very big heart." Cato tells her, his eyes sparkling at the thought of him. He's pulled from his thoughts by Rue's next question.

"When did you know you liked boys?" he can hear the curiosity in her voice. He looks up at her shocked but not totally surprised.

"I've known for quite a while. Does my liking Peeta bother you?" he asks nervously, not really sure this is a conversation he should be having with the young girl.

"Nah, not at all. I think you and Peeta are really cute together," she replies reassuringly. "He's good for you."

"I think so too."

They continue talking quietly about things from home, sharing what they miss most. Soon they stop talking altogether. He sees Rie and decides to talk to him. He switches places with Delly.

"Hey Rie, can I ask you something?"

"You just did Cato, but feel free to ask me something else if you'd like," Rie teases.

"Ha-ha Joke Boy, very funny," Cato says frowning. "I was wondering what Peeta was like when he was younger. You know, before he went to live with Gale's family?"

Rie looks over to Cato who can see the sadness behind the other boy's smile. "Peeta was a sweet little boy, always wanting to help our dad in the bakery. He was 5 when dad first let him decorate a cookie. By the time he was 7, he was doing simple cakes. By the time he was 10, not only was he doing all the decorating, he was helping dad with picking up our supply deliveries from the train station. Before being kicked out, he could lift 100 lb. bags of flour by himself." Rie looks down at his feet, "But if he ever made even the slightest mistake, our mother was right there to punish him with a wooden spoon to the hands or a rolling pin to the head. Sometimes it would be whatever she could get her hands on, hitting him wherever."

"So, your dad, why didn't he ever try to help Peeta?" Cato asks trying desperately to keep the anger out of his voice.

"He did in the beginning. But then mother would just turn her weapon on dad. After the first couple black eyes, he stopped trying." Rie looks over at Cato, a pained smile on his face, "Not good for business, being covered in bruises."

"Did your mother ever hit you?" Cato asks quietly curious.

"Yes." Rie says quietly. "Especially when I tried to stick up for Peet. Of course he'd always beg me not to, never wanting me to be hurt, trying to protect me." Rie's voice was sad. "So, like dad, I stopped. But Peeta, he took his beatings and _still_ tried to make mother happy. He had, no, has an inner strength that is amazing. She couldn't break him ever."

"But he did break. Once." Cato says remembering the conversation he had overheard on the rooftop between Peeta and Finnick.

"Yes, he did," Rie says studying Cato. "He can't suffer like that again Cato. If you'd had seen him back then… It was bad."

Cato lets the subject drop. Just then he notices two tributes walking out onto the beach. He signals to Rie who looks over and sees them as well. Sticking to the trees, the two boys sneak up behind the other two tributes. Cato quietly pulls his sword from his back as Rie pulls out his hunting knife. As Rie throws the knife at one tribute, Cato thrusts his sword into the back of the other. Two cannons go off as they quickly sneak back to their hiding spots.

Cato looks over to Rie as they sit back down. He can see that Rie is a little upset. "It's a dirty trick, backstabbing them like that but they could have been armed." Cato tells him. "But always remember, it's them or us."

Rie nods. They sit in quiet contemplation, Rie thinking about their talk before the two tributes showed up and Cato wondering what Peeta was doing at that moment. Was he safe? Was he thinking about Cato too?

"I have a question for you." Rie says suddenly, breaking Cato from his thoughts.

"Since you answered mine, I'll answer yours," he says looking at the other boy.

"If it came down to you, Clove, and Peeta here, what would you do?" asks Rie. Cato gives Rie a strange look. It's an odd question considering that they're supposed to be rescued from the arena soon. Before he can respond Rie continues, "Peeta has a lot of people that rely on him back home – the Hawthorne's, the Everdeen's, and others. The boy that Peeta volunteered for, Rory is more of a brother to Peeta than I ever was." Rie stands up. "I wasn't really looking for an answer Cato. Just giving you more to think about. I'm going to go switch with Gale. Change of scenery. You understand." And with that, Rie walks away.

Cato tries to figure out exactly what Rie was trying to say. It felt like a warning of some sort, but what? They were all expecting to be rescued and taken to the rebel base in 13 so they could fight against the Capitol. If they win, the games will end and Peeta won't have to worry about the younger kids being reaped anymore. He goes back over the conversation he and Rie just had. He wonders if the warning had to do with breaking Peeta. Finnick had hurt him, badly according to Rie. What exactly had happened when Finnick broke Peeta's heart? What does it have to do with the other families needing Peeta? Would he kill Clove and himself to save Peeta?

"Cato!"

Cato jumps at the sound of Gale's voice. His face must have shown how confused he was when he hears Gale ask, "What's the matter?" When Cato doesn't immediately answer Gale continues, "I've been calling your name for about 5 minutes. What's troubling you?"

Cato can see the concern on Gale's face as he sits down. "I was thinking about the talk Rie and I had about Peeta when he was younger, his abuse from his mother." Cato pauses to study Gale's face. He wasn't expecting him to say anything.

"I remember Peeta coming to school with new bruises on a weekly basis, saying how he fell or what not. Everyone knew that his mother was hitting him. But no one ever reported it. I don't know why." Gale looks down in shame. "I thought about saying something once, reporting it to our Head Peacekeeper Cray. But I chickened out, thinking no one would believe a child." Gale looks up at Cato, "In a way I'm glad I chickened out. Because ever since he moved in with my family, it feels complete again. Like before my dad died."

"Peeta has a way of making you feel things you never thought you would." Cato says thinking about how before Peeta came into his life he still wanted to come into these games to bring honor to his district.

"Peeta's abuse wasn't the only thing you were thinking about." Gale says knowingly.

"No. I was also thinking about how his mother beating him never broke him but _he_ did," admits Cato not saying Finnick's name on purpose.

"And you have questions about that too, don't you?" Gale asks not sure how much to reveal if Cato asks.

"Yes. But they're questions I should ask Peeta about. Even though you're here and he's not. I don't want to make that mistake." He replies.

"He might not want to share that information with you. Are you prepared to just let it drop if that's what he wants?" asks Gale.

"I realize that and if he wants me to drop it, I will. It's just that I don't want him to hurt like that ever again. I think if I know what happened, I'll know what not to do." Cato admits honestly.

"What _he_ did to Peeta, you can't say for certainty that you won't do yourself. You can't predict the future Cato. You just need to make every day that you're with him as good as the last one."

"You love him, don't you?" Cato asks already knowing the answer but curious all the same.

"Yes. But only as a brother," Gale smiles. "I'm definitely into girls," They share a laugh before Gale gets serious. "I'm the one he came out to first. I'd had a crush on Katniss and thought he did too. One day the jealousy took over and I ordered him to stay away from her. He looked at me like I was crazy before telling me, and I quote, 'I don't like Katniss other than as a sister. I'm gay Gale. And before you freak out, I only think of you as a brother'. That was three years ago. I've since gotten over my crush on Katniss."

"And you mention that because…" asks Cato intrigued.

Gale blushes slightly before asking, "What can you tell me about Clove?"

"You like Clover? That's kind of crazy man. She's lethal."

"I know. It's just, we talked last night and she's not like any girl from my district." Gale admits.

Cato laughs, "These have got to be the strangest games in history. I mean no one ever falls for someone during the games. Sure there's usually sex but this is different. First it's Peeta and I, then you and Clove, and I suspect Marvel and Katniss too. Who's next? Thresh and Foxface? Rie and Glimmer?"

Gale laughs too. "It is crazy. But you still haven't answered my question." Gale points out.

"Ah, Clover. How to describe her? She's sarcastic, snide, and deadly with knives. But she's also my best friend. She can be sweet when it suits her. I've seen her cut down another student with her wit, cuddle with a kitten, and threaten an instructor with a knife to the throat all in the same day. I personally like her best when she's flipping somebody shit." Cato tells him.

"Thanks." Gale says giving Cato a strange look. "When I first came over, I was trying to get your attention to tell you that before you and Rie went after those tributes, Rue saw Peeta and the rest of the group. They came out of the jungle and walked further down the beach before re-entering." Cato nods in acknowledgement. Gale figures since Cato shared about Clove he could share a little about Peeta.

"Hey Cato," Gale says trying to get Cato's attention.

"Yeah Gale," Cato gives his full attention to Gale.

"Peeta's a painter. He's a baker. He likes to sleep with the window open. He doesn't like sugar in his tea. And he always double knots his shoes."

Cato smiles at the new information. The more he learns, the more he wants to know. Both boys get lost in their own thoughts.

_**Back together again**_

Cato and Gale both jump sometime later when Rue jumps out of a tree between them.

"They're back," is all she says before running to greet the returning group. Cato and Gale share a knowing smile before jumping up and following Rue. They see a tired looking Peeta giving Clove a piggyback ride and are a bit confounded at the sight.

They hear Thresh say, "Let's go back to where we camped last night and we'll share the whole story and answer questions."

When they all reach the clearing, all eyes are on Peeta as he gently sets Clove down next to a fallen tree and helps her to sit. He's looking down at her still holding her hands, silently communicating with her. Gale and Cato feel slightly jealous as he says, "Foxface, can you get your first aid kit and come look at Clove's left ankle? She can't put any weight on it."

Foxface gets her kit and sits in front of Clove when Peeta steps to the side. She gently removes the other girl's shoe and sock as Peeta turns to the rest of the group who have stacked the backpacks off to the side. He grabs his backpack and takes it with him. "If you'll all sit down, we'll all be glad to tell you what happened after Clove is taken care of." Peeta says as he walks over to Cato. Cato leans down and gives Peeta a quick kiss before running his eyes up and down Peeta's body, scanning for any injuries. "I'm fine Cato. Not even a scratch. Sit," he hears Peeta whisper. "You can check later." He adds with a wink remembering what Cato had said earlier that day.

Gale walks over to the log and sits next to Clove. He wants to hold her hand and offer her some comfort but knows that it will only make her look even more weak to her sponsors. He's pleasantly surprised when she lays her head on his shoulder. He can't stop the smile that forms. Cato winks at him knowingly before looking down into Peeta's eyes, glad he's back and safe.

Foxface finishes her examination of Clove's ankle. "It doesn't appear to be broken but I honestly don't know for sure. I'm going to wrap your ankle at any rate. You should stay off it tonight and I'll check it again in the morning." She takes an ace bandage out of her kit and wraps Clove's ankle before turning to Peeta to ask, "What happened?"

Peeta stops staring into Cato's eyes and waits as he sits before responding. "I'll start from when we left, giving you the full story."

As he sits down, he begins with his group entering the jungle, telling how Clove, Marvel, and Madge took out two tributes. He talks about seeing the African savannah, showing the parachute gift from Effie, and sitting in the upside down looking tree, that Foxface calls a baobab tree, and getting to draw. Marvel takes over telling about the lions, dogs, and floating logs that Foxface again interjects calling them Nile crocodiles. Thresh takes over showing the snake Clove killed, that was identified as a Black Mambo. Katniss tells the story of meeting Peeta back at the tree (Cato catching Clove winking at Peeta, wondering what that was about), how Peeta lost his ninja stars killing a tribute, and how they decided to move to another area of the arena. Madge continues with their lunch, hearing two cannons, finding the ruined city, and how they split up to find water. Thresh finishes with the roof falling on Clove, Marvel finding water, and returning back to everyone.

Rie explains that the cannons they heard were probably from Cato and himself killing two tributes on the beach. Peeta sees that his brother is distraught at what he did. He gives him a reassuring smile. Rie smiles back weakly. Peeta decides that he will talk to him tomorrow when Rie has time to deal with what he had to do.

"Peeta, you said you stayed behind in the savannah to draw. Can we see what you drew?" Rue asks excitement in her voice.

Peeta passes the sketch book to her and lets her look at his three drawings. It works its way around the group, including those that had been with Peeta but didn't get to see them.

"You did these in two hours? They're amazing Peeta," says Glimmer when it reaches her. She wasn't the only one to think so. He can see the others nod in agreement.

"They almost look real. I feel like I'm back there again." Marvel says.

Although proud of his work, Peeta was a little embarrassed by all the attention of those who'd never seen any of his drawings before.

When Cato was looking at the drawings, he turned to look at Peeta to say how wonderful they were. He noticed the blush on Peeta's face and closing the book, changed the subject handing it back to him.

"So, you carried Clove all the way back from the city?" he asks. Neither one expect Peeta to become more embarrassed by the question.

"Yeah, she was no heavier than the backpack I had carried." He replied running his hand behind his neck.

Marvel and Katniss had treated the waters they brought back during the showing of Peeta's drawings and began to hand out some food and water to everyone. It was silent while they ate. Everyone was thinking about the events of the day. When they finished eating, parachutes began to land. The first one lands in front of Clove. She opens it to find 2 little purple and pink pills and a note.

_Take these soon. Your ankle will be healed in 12 hours._

_~E_

The next one landed in front of Rie who opened it to find a new hunting knife to match the one he used earlier. But there was no note. Cato jumped when the next one landed in front of him. He opens it to find a kit to clean and sharpen his sword. There was a note from Brutus.

_Take better care of your weapon Cato_

_~B_

The next parachute lands in front of Madge. It was a small basket of fresh strawberries and a note.

_Good job today. Enjoy._

_~H & E_

The last parachute landed in the middle of the group. They knew it was from District 13 without looking. Delly gets up and opens it. Inside were 52 rolls – exactly like the ones from the night before, a plastic toy bus, 6 ninja stars wrapped in soft leather, and a strange note.

_They were close to where they needed to be. Give the girl her lessons. Lay low tomorrow, don't take many chances._

_~P_

Peeta was happy that he would be able to teach Clove to throw some stars. He looked over at her to see her smiling back at him. He thought about the last line of the note. Why did they need to stay where they were? And who was the note from? His thoughts were interrupted by the anthem. All eyes looked up to watch.

District 1 male – killed by Rie with a chunk of cement

District 3 male – killed by Peeta with ninja stars

District 4 male – killed by Rie with knife to the back

District 5 female – killed by a rock slide

District 6 female – killed by a rock slide

District 8 male – killed by Madge with an arrow

District 9 male – killed by Clove and Marvel with knives and spear

District 11 female – killed by Cato with sword

The anthem played again ending the show. Rie was shocked that he was credited with two deaths. Especially considering one of them was a career. Peeta stood up and got the air mattress out and set it up. He walks over to Clove and squats down to look her in the eye. "Tonight I want you to use the bed."

Clove's eyes widen, "Oh no Peeta, I can't. That was sent to you and Cato. I'll be fine on the ground."

Cato comes over and stands next to Peeta. "Clover, that mattress is large enough for you, Rue, Peeta, and me. Don't argue with us, you'll lose."

"Do it Clove. Be comfortable for one night." Gale encourages.

Clove gives in but not happily. Peeta stands, picks up Clove bridal style, carries her over and lays her down on the mattress. Rue crawls in next to her. Thresh handed them their blankets. Gale grabs his blanket and lies down on the ground next to the bed, next to Clove. Peeta isn't surprised and smiles to himself as he walks over to where Cato had just sat down.

"You want to do the first watch with me tonight?" Cato asks.

"Sounds good. Who's taking the second watch?" Peeta asks.

"Foxface and I will take the second watch." Madge volunteers.

"Kat and I will take the third watch." Marvel says.

With that taken care of, everyone gets ready for bed except Peeta and Cato. As he watches his friends falling to sleep, Peeta lays his head on Cato's shoulder while reach over to hold his hand. Cato kisses the top of Peeta's head and hears him say, "I missed you today. I wished that you were with us to see that savannah. It was really amazing."

"I missed you too. I spent my day thinking about you too." Cato says softly. "I had a nice talk with Rie and Gale about you as well." He admits, not wanting to keep any secrets from the younger boy.

"What did they tell you?"

"I asked Rie to tell me about what you were like when you were younger." Cato says. Peeta sits up, curious as to what Cato learned. "He told me about you frosting cookies and cakes." Cato looks at Peeta before continuing, "And we briefly discussed your dad and mother." He waits for Peeta to get upset. But when he didn't say anything Cato continued, "I know that your dad and Rie tried to stand up for you against your mother and what happened when they did."

Peeta reaches up with his hand and places it against Cato's cheek, looking into his eyes. "It wasn't pretty. I got punished more when they tried to protect me." Cato didn't know how to respond to that so he just wrapped his arm around Peeta's waist. "So, what did Gale tell you?" Peeta asks.

"We discussed how I need to talk to you about things from your past, such as _him_." He feels Peeta stiffen. "No, not like that. Like how no matter what your mother did, you were the same person - caring, giving, loving, no matter what you went through. But when _he_ broke your heart, you were different – sad." Cato turns Peeta's face to him. "I don't want to make that mistake. I don't want to hurt you like that." He leans to kiss Peeta on the nose before looking at his shoes, "Double knots, just like Gale said."

"What else did Gale tell you? Besides how I tie my shoes, I mean," Peeta asks quietly.

Cato shrugs. "Not much just that you're a baker, a painter, you prefer to sleep with a window open, and you don't take sugar in your tea." Peeta starts to turn his head in embarrassment.

"Please don't," Cato says making Peeta look at him again. "Don't be embarrassed. I want to know these things. I want to know who you are and what makes you who you are."

Peeta looks into Cato's eyes, searching, but only sees the truth of what Cato is saying. "Why?" he questions Cato. "Why me? I'm nobody special." He whispers trying to pull away.

"Don't!" Cato growls. He pulls Peeta closer gently. "Please don't ever say things like that to me." He says gently. "You mean something to me." And with that said, he kisses Peeta gently, showing him exactly how he feels.

The kiss starts out gentle, kind, and sweet. But when Cato runs his tongue over Peeta's soft lips, silently asking for and being granted entrance, it becomes hot, fiery, and passionate. It's something neither of them has ever felt before. Without breaking the kiss, Peeta finds himself sitting on Cato's lap. Neither of them aware or caring if the cameras are on them. Peeta's hands run slowly up and down Cato's chest, feeling the firm muscles that lie under his shirt as Cato's hands grab Peeta's waist pulling him closer. Then one hand slides slowly up Peeta's back and entangles itself in Peeta's hair while the other works itself under the hem of Peeta's shirt, feeling the soft skin of his back, causing Peeta to moan. Hearing Peeta moan, Cato bucks his hips against Peeta, who could feel just how much the kiss was affecting Cato.

The sound of a cannon blast breaks their lips apart. Peeta rests his forehead against Cato's, both breathing heavily, struggling to catch their breath. Both knowing that had the cannon not gone off, things would have gone much further than they should have.

"You have no idea. The effect you can have." Cato whispers against Peeta's lips.

_**Somewhere in the Capitol**_

They meet in a darkened alley. Both aware of the danger of meeting but willing to take the risk to save the children in the arena, remove President Snow from leadership of the country, and end the barbaric games once and for all.

"Did you send the message?" the one asks.

"Yes, just like you asked. Can you tell me why they have to stay where they are?" the other one asks.

"It will be safer for them. They're in a safe zone for now. They'll be able to take out other tributes as well," the one replies. "Is the rescue team ready?"

"They know exactly where to hit the shield. The hovercraft will fly low so as to stay off the radar. We have some of our best members ready to rescue the kids," the other one says. "If everything goes as planned, those 13 kids will be safely aboard and gone before the Capitol hovercrafts arrive. Provided the Intel we received is accurate."

"Good. Is the second hovercraft to take the Capitol rebels ready as well?" asks the one.

"It will be hidden in the forest just outside the city as planned. Do the Capitol rebels know the signal to head out?" asks the other.

"Yes, the morning of the rescue during the live feed of the games an 'interruption' of the program will let them know to head out." Replies the one. "They are to go to their designated hidden tunnel and head out of the city."

"And the mentors?" asks the other. "How will they reach safety?"

"When the new room was built, there was a trap door placed inside their room. It leads to an underground passage way that leads outside the city." The one says.

"Tunnels? Are they safe?" asks the other.

"There are no pods in the secret tunnels. When you started training those children, we began work on the tunnels secretly. Only the Capitol rebels know of their existence as they built them."

"What about the peacekeepers stationed at the mentor building?" asks the other. "How will they be dealt with?"

"They will be called outside to an emergency, a car bomb will go off about a block away near an unfinished building that will require them to check out." Replies the one.

"And the rendezvous spot? Is it still in District 5?" asks the other.

"Yes. When both crafts land in 5, the mentors and Capitol rebels will board the craft with the kids and immediately head for District 13 while the other craft will be used as a decoy for any Capitol crafts that may be following," says the one. "Do we have a plan if President Snow decides to retaliate against the families of the kids?"

"The trainers for the kids have been instructed to go to the districts and get the families to a safe place outside their districts for pick up once the kids are rescued. If President Snow decides to go after any district, we have rebels there to lead as many citizens to safety as possible. District 13 will be ready to pick them up as soon as its deemed safe to do so." Says the other.

"And if the families refuse to leave?" asks the one. "Do we force them to leave?"

"No, we aren't forcing them. The decision to leave will be theirs to decide. We are giving them enough time to gather whatever items they can fit into a small bag before they are to leave." Replies the other.

"And the peacekeepers in the districts where the families are? How are we dealing with them?" asks the one.

"As they are out patrolling to make sure the citizens are watching the games, our rebels have been timing the intervals and will move accordingly." Says the other.

"And what of the fences?" asks the one.

"The fences will be short circuited or shut off from inside each district." Responds the other.

"Sounds like we got our bases covered," says the one. "I better get going. I said I had a family emergency and am expected back. Until we meet again, stay safe."

"You too." Replies the other.

The two figures leave in opposite directions, checking to make sure no one is following them as they head off. This meeting would be the last one between the two figures until they saw each other again in District 13.

**So there you have it. Some parts I'm very happy with and others I don't think came out the way I pictured in my mind. Chapter 10 will be up soon.**


	10. Chapter 10 Bonus D12 The Families

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello my lovely readers! I have something special for you all - a second bonus chapter! This chapter follows Mr. Mellark, the Everdeen's, and the Hawthorne's as they watch the tribute parade through the second day in the arena. Warning – it does start off slow but does get more exciting.**

_**Mhardman: **_**You will never know just how much your words truly mean to me. My niece was the one to convince me to write this story and I never dreamt that anyone would like it this much. Here is the next chapter and I hope you like reading about 3 of the families that were left behind.**

_**Rolyn: **_**I was a little worried about how my Peeta and Cato fluff would be taken. I, too, thought it was cute. As for Katniss and Marvel, you inspired me to see where they may go. You have every right to feel special because of that. Gale and Clove was never planned. I had thought maybe Johanna later. But as I was writing out the scene with Gale and Cato talking, it hit me. Can't wait to see where this pairing may go. As for my run on sentences – I blame my word program ;) lol. The rescue should happen in about 2 more chapters. Have to see where day three in the arena leads me… Oh, the bases may be covered, but anything can happen.**

_**MangoMagic: **_**First of all, I thank you for your honesty. Believe it or not, it helps me a lot. I, too, had problems with the conversations between Cato and Rie as well as Cato and Gale. I just couldn't figure out why. Marvel and Katniss was actually inspired by a reader and Gale and Clove just kind of happened in the last chapter when Cato and Gale were talking. Finny, oh Finny. I've been thinking about doing a Finnick chapter, kind of like chapter 5 - Cato's POV. Or I could ask everyone to be patient for another 2 or 3 more chapters… **

_**lincolnlog89: **_**I'm touched you like my Cato! He truly does want to be with Peeta, and to take care of him. Finnick. You are the second person to ask about what he did to Peeta **** I had thought about doing a Finnick based chapter like Cato's but if you can be patient, Peeta and Finnick's history will be explained in 2 or 3 more chapters. And the heartbreak is coming, very soon. I just hope I can return the favor and make you cry lol!**

_2__nd__ Bonus chapter -Chapter 10 District 12's Tribute Families_

_**Tribute Parade Night**_

_The Everdeen's house_

Prim was sitting at the dining table. Tonight was the tribute parade. She couldn't wait to see it, to see Katniss' face again. She had only be gone a day but it felt like longer. Prim couldn't help but think about how brave her sister was for volunteering to take her place, Peeta too.

"Prim, does this look straight?"

Prim looks up and sees her mother and Rory hanging up the painting Peeta had done for them.

"Yes, it looks good mom."

Prim stands up to take a better look at the painting. Peeta's work really was amazing. The painting showed her mother in the center with Prim to her left and Katniss to the right. Off center at the top was her father looking down at the three of them. It was extraordinary how that simple touch meant so much to her.

"Mrs. Everdeen, mom asked me to invite you and Prim over for dinner before the tribute parade," Rory says.

"Thank you Rory. Let your mother know that we'll be there. Would she like us to bring anything?"

"No ma'am. Gale and Peeta stocked us really well." Rory responds.

"Very well then. We'll be over later." Mrs. Everdeen turns to Prim, "Prim, I have to go out for a short while. I'm going over to check on Thom and make sure he's healing well."

"Would it be okay with you if I go over to the Hawthorne's now? I could offer to help Mrs. Hawthorne with dinner," Prim suggests.

"Sure, that'd be fine." Her mother responds.

The three of them left the house together. Mrs. Everdeen turns for Thom's house as Rory and Prim head to the Hawthorne's place.

_The Hawthorne's house_

Rory opens the door to his house and follows Prim into the house.

"Mom, I'm back," he calls. "Prim is here with me."

Hazel comes out from the bedroom. "Hello Prim dear. How's your mother?"

Hi Mrs. Hawthorne, Mom is as well as can be expected with the circumstances being what they are. Do you need any help with dinner?" Prim asks.

"Thank you but no. The stew is simmering and the rolls that Peeta made the other day are warming in the oven," Hazel says with tears forming in her eyes at the thought of her two boys that are so far away. "I'll call you when it's time to set the table though."

"Okay mom," Rory replies seeing his mother's face. "We'll go keep Vick and Posy entertained until you need us."

An hour later, Hazel calls the children to come set the table. There's a knock on the door and Posy answers it.

"Hello Mrs. Everdeen, please come in. Dinner is almost ready."

"Hello Posy, thank you," Mrs. Everdeen says as she walks in the door.

After dinner, the two women set about putting the food away as Prim and Rory wash the dishes. Vick and Posy wait in the living room area. Soon everyone is seated and waiting for the parade to start. Suddenly there was an unexpected knock on the door.

_The Mellark's house _

Mr. Mellark is downstairs in the bakery with Wheet, closing up and getting things set up for tomorrow.

"Wheet, why don't you go up with your Mother and Eliza," he suggests hoping his son doesn't hear the undertone of nervousness.

"Okay dad, thanks," Wheet says as he heads towards the stairs.

As soon as Wheet is out of sight, Mr. Mellark grabs 3 loaves of bread and puts them in a bag. He checks one last time to make sure everything is off and the front door to the bakery is locked. He walks over to the stairs and calls out, "I'm going to go watch the parade in the town square, to try to drum up some business for tomorrow." He doesn't wait for a response as he grabs the bag of bread and heads out the back door. His destination isn't the town square just yet. He has a promise to keep first. He's going to see the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's.

_The Hawthorne's house_

"Good evening Hazel. I've brought you some bread. There's a loaf for the Everdeen's as well." Mr. Mellark says.

"Thank you Fennel. That's very kind of you but Gale didn't leave me anything for me to trade with." Hazel says.

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting anything. I was keeping a promise."

Hazel takes the bag. "The parade is about to start. There won't be enough time for you to make it back home. You are more than welcome to stay here," she says as she opens the door wider.

Fennel gives it a quick thought. "Thank you," he replies as he walks in. He follows as she leaves the bread on the dining table and heads to the living room.

"Hello Mr. Mellark," the children chorus.

"Hello children," he replies. "Hello Lily."

"Hello Fennel. How's your family doing?" asks Lily before remembering that 2 of his sons were about to be on TV.

"They're well. Wheet and Eliza are planning their toasting for after the games," he replies as he sits in a chair.

The anthem plays and soon Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman are on the screen welcoming everyone to the 75th annual tribute parade. As the parade commences, the two men on screen keep running commentary of the different district's costumes. Everyone is shocked into silence when the district 12 chariot comes out, including those in the Hawthorne living room. They all jump when the Capitol citizens start cheering loudly on the TV. When they show a close-up of the chariot, everyone in the room is stunned, yet amazed at the costumes.

"They look wonderful," Prim says. "Oh no! That's Katniss and Peeta on fire! Why are they on fire and why aren't the others put them out?" she asks frantically.

"We've just been told that District 12 stylists, Cinna and Portia, have created synthetic fire. Tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are in no danger of being burnt," Caesar's voice says from the TV, seemingly in answer to Prim's question."

"That's right folks, you heard it here first. And don't those two tributes look absolutely incredible!" Claudius adds.

Those in the house watch as the chariots stop in the city square and listen to President Snow give his speech. As the chariots leave, Claudius and Caesar give the schedule for the tributes, including the split game maker sessions and split interview nights. The show ends and the anthem plays.

Fennel and the Everdeen's prepare to leave. He offers to walk the two female's home and they agree. As they walk out the door, Hazel invites Fennel to come back and watch the scores and interviews of the kids.

_The Mellark house_

Fennel makes it home and finds his wife in bed, asleep. He goes back downstairs and locks himself in his office. He pulls out a photo of Peeta as a toddler. As he looks at the photo, he thinks about how handsome Peeta looked tonight in those fake flames. He pulls out a bottle from the desk that he bought from Ripper. It's been in the desk drawer since the reapings, since two of his boys were taken from him. But he doesn't drink from the bottle. It's for if something happens to one of his boys.

_**Score Night**_

_The Everdeen's house_

Lily checks the 2 chickens in the oven. They're done. She takes them out to cool as she gets started on the salad of dandelion greens. Prim had gathered them earlier that day with Rory, Vick, and Posy.

"Prim, are you ready? The Hawthorne's are waiting for us. We're bringing the dinner tonight," she calls out.

"Yeah mom. Sorry, I was out milking Lady," Prim answers. "What would you like me to carry?"

"Can you grab the salad?" she asks. As Prim grabs the bowl she says, "Thanks sweetie." Just then there's a knock on the door. Prim answers and sees Rory there.

"My mom sent me to see if you needed any help with anything," Rory says.

"Thank you Rory. I think we got it. Shall we head over?" Rory walks the Everdeen's over to his house, opening the door for them.

_The Hawthorne's house_

Hazel sees them enter the house and rushes over to help by taking the salad from Prim.

"This looks delicious," she says as she leads the way to the dining table. "Why don't you kids go wash up for dinner?"

As soon as the kids are gone, Hazel turns to Lily, "Are you as nervous as I am about the kids' scores?"

"Yes. Although I know Katniss, Gale, and Peeta are good hunters; they are up against a much larger group of careers," says Lily. "And they tend to run straight for the cornucopia. Our kids will have to either run faster than the careers or run away and hope they get enough sponsor money for a weapon."

"Especially that one large, brutal looking boy from district 2, he scares me. I can't imagine what our kids think of him," Hazel says shuddering. "I hope they stay away from him."

The kid's comeback and they all sit down for dinner.

"This chicken is delicious Mrs. Everdeen," Rory comments stuffing his mouth.

"Thank you Rory. Thom gave it to me as payment for taking care of him." Lily replies.

There were no leftovers so Hazel sent the kids to the living room while she and Lily did the dishes. As soon as the last dish was dried and put away, there was a knock on the door. Hazel answers the door and sees Fennel. She invites him in and he hands her two bags. One has three loaves of bread; the other is filled with cheesy buns. The three adults walk into the living room and sit down.

"Hello Mr. Mellark," the children chorus.

Fennel chuckles, "Hello children."

"Did you bring any cookies Mr. Mellark?" asks Posy.

"Posy dear, that's not very polite," admonishes Hazel embarrassed.

"It's alright Hazel," he says before turning to Posy. "How about I bring some cookies next time Posy? Would that be okay?" He asks.

"That would be great Mr. Mellark," Posy says excitedly before remembering her manners. "Thank you."

Everyone quiets down when the anthem starts playing. Caesar Flickerman gives his welcoming spiel for score night. As he begins reading the names and scores, a picture of the tribute appears in the upper right corner of the screen. When the group sees Cato's score of 11, they worry.

"He's dangerous. Gale and the others need to avoid him. That's a really good score." Rory comments.

The room falls silent again as they watch the rest of tribute's scores. When District 12's own Delly Cartwright's face appears, everyone sits up straighter. Delly receives a 9, Madge an 8, Katniss a 10 - to which Prim smiles – Rie an 8, and Gale a 9. The group holds their breath as Peeta's face appears and Caesar says, "Folk's this has never happened before," He pauses dramatically. "Peeta Mellark with a score of 11! That's right ladies and gentlemen, two tributes with a score of 11! The highest score of the night."

None of them hears anything else Caesar says as the kids are really excited about the scores.

"Katniss got a 10! Do you think she used a bow mom?" Prim asks excitedly.

"Brother Peeta did better," Posy says standing with her hands on her little hips. "Even better than Gale. I bet he painted a really pretty picture," she says with a dreamy smile on her face.

Hazel looks over to Fennel. He has a smile on his face. "Peeta did very well. You should be proud Fennel," Hazel says gracefully.

"I should be. I mean I am but the credit for his success should go to you. You took him in and treated him as your own," Fennel says a hint of sadness in his voice. "You don't know how grateful I am. I could never repay you for taking him in."

"Nonsense Fennel, there's nothing to repay. Had our roles been reversed –" Hazel begins.

"We both know my wife would never allow anything like that to happen," Fennel says wryly.

"Okay, that' true. But I know _you_ would've been willing to take in my child. That's what matters to me." Hazel says a warm smile gracing her face.

"Thank you Hazel. You are a good woman. I should be on my way now, good night." He turns to Lily, "Good night Lily." He then looks down at the kids, "Good night children."

"Good night Mr. Mellark," they chorus yet again.

"The offer to come watch the interviews and when they go into the arena is still open. We hope you'll join us," Hazel says as she walks Fennel to the door.

"I'll be here. And with cookies for the children. Thank you and good night Hazel." With that he heads home.

_The Mellark's house_

Fennel arrives home, finding his wife waiting for him.

"Where were you? And don't tell me in the town square, Wheet and Eliza went there to watch with you. They came home 5 minutes ago and said you weren't there," she shrieks.

"They mustn't have looked very hard. I was there," Fennel says.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" his wife screams. "I know you weren't there. Tell me where you were right now!"

"I was in the town square, back with some seam folk. That's probably why Wheet didn't see me." He lies again. He doesn't know why he feels compelled to keep doing it.

"Why would you be by those filthy creatures? Just look at what hanging around that trash has done to my sweet Rie! His score was lower than those seam scum!"

"And what about Peeta? He –" Fennel begins.

"Don't ever mention _that_ name in my presence again!" she screams.

"But he is our child!" Fennel exclaims frustrated.

"I only have two children! My sweet daughter, my third child, died. I have no other children!"

"You're wrong," he says calmly but firmly, courage to stand up against her growing. "We have another son. His name is Peeta. And if by some miracle, I ever get to see him again, I _will_ reconnect with him. And I will NOT let you stop me. I'm going to sleep on the couch in my office." As he walks away, he sneers, "Good night _my dear._"

_**Interview Night**_

_The Everdeen house_

"Come on mom, we're going to be late," Prim whines.

"Primrose Everdeen, we have 30 minutes to get there. You should kindly remember I was out delivering the Johansson's baby. It was a difficult delivery. The twins are fine though, thank you for asking," Lily snaps.

"Sorry mom," Prim says contritely. "I'm really glad the Johansson twins are doing well. I just miss Katniss so much and can't wait to see her, even if it is on TV."

"It's alright Prim; and I'm sorry too. Being tired is no excuse to get upset." Lily says apologetically. "I miss Katniss too. I hope she makes it home, even if she loses her friends."

They hug before heading to the door and heading to the Hawthorne house.

_The Mellark's house_

"I'm leaving now," Fennel calls up the stairs. "I'll be home as soon as it's over." He doesn't worry about his wife finding out where he's going, Wheet went over to Eliza's to watch. He grabs the bread and cookies as he walks out the door. He makes it look like he's headed towards the town center before taking the path to the seam just in case his wife was watching.

He feels little guilt as he heads to the Hawthorne house. He wishes he had the guts he had last night to stand up to his wife years ago. If he had, Peeta would've never had to go to live with the Hawthorne's, never would've gone and volunteered for that younger boy. That's not to say he isn't proud of Peeta, he is. It's just there was that chance he'd still be home where he belonged.

He thinks back to the reaping. He had been devastated when Peeta volunteered for the younger Hawthorne boy, like someone punched him in the gut. He had always wanted to bring Peeta home. He went to go see Peeta after the reaping, to tell him how sorry he was for not fighting to keep the boy at home. Unfortunately his wife wouldn't let him go alone. At least he was able to sneak him the pocket watch that had been passed down through the generations. He hoped the picture and note would give Peeta a reason to fight, to win, and to come home. Although if the truth be known, he didn't want to lose either son. His heart was breaking in a million little pieces.

As he neared the Hawthorne's, he realized how truly grateful he was to them for taking Peeta in. They had provided him with a safe, warm, stable, loving home. He knew Hazel to be a wonderful mother that took care of his son, loved him as her own. For that, he would be forever in her debt. Giving them bread was never going to be enough.

He knocked on the door.

_The Hawthorne's house_

Rory answered the door, knowing who it would be. "Hello Mr. Mellark. Won't you please come in"

"Thank you Rory. Here's some bread. Oh, and the cookies I promised." Fennel said, walking in and handing the two bags over.

Rory set the bread on the table and took the cookies and Fennel to the living room. He handed each of the kids a cookie before handing the bag over to his mother.

"Thank you Mr. Mellark," the children said before eating the treat.

Everyone got settled in as Caesar welcomed everyone to the interviews. They watch the other districts with their interviews but as they aren't really invested in the answers they have quiet conversations amongst themselves. When it's finally District 12's turn, everyone sits still, barely breathing.

"Look, Katniss and Peeta are on fire again," Posy says in awe pointing at the TV. "They look pretty."

_Katniss, you were the first of your district to volunteer. You volunteered for your sister. What was going through your mind and what did she say to you before you left?_

When Caesar asks Katniss about her volunteering for her sister, Prim listens carefully, her eyes tearing up. She always knew Katniss loved her but not to such a great extent. She feels someone grab her hand and looks to see her hand in Rory's, him smiling at her handing her a tissue to wipe her eyes. In the corner of her eye, she sees Fennel lean forward and turns her attention back to the TV.

_Rie, Peeta is your younger brother. How does it feel knowing that you're going up against a family member?_

Fennel leans forward as Caesar asks Rie about being in the games with his brother. He feels many emotions surge through him – joy at seeing his two boys together, sadness at the possibility of losing both his sons, anger at his wife for the hell she put the family through, and pride in his sons for being there for each other.

_Gale, your brother Rory was reaped and Peeta volunteered to take his place. How did that make you feel?_

Hazel, Fennel, and Rory all react when Caesar asks Gale about Rory and Peeta. Hazel could see that Gale was upset by the question. She knew the others couldn't read his body language as well as she could. Her heart was breaking for all four of her boys, Peeta being one of them. One of them was going to be so damaged after these games. Fennel felt a new respect for Gale, with whom he traded with for years. He felt bad for not getting to know the oldest Hawthorne boy better. He turns to Hazel, "You raised a remarkable young man," nodding at the TV with Gale's face on it. Rory looked at his older brother with sadness and pride. He missed him a lot. Peeta too, but Gale more so. Then he hears another question about him. Why so much interest in him? He was just a 13 year old boy who was saved from going to the games.

_Peeta, you are the second volunteer from District 12. When asked about the young boy you volunteered for, you called him your 'friend and brother'. Would you elaborate on that?_

Fennel stared at Peeta as he answered the question about volunteering for the younger Hawthorne boy. 'Unfortunate accident'? Peeta was still protecting his mother! Why would he after what she put him through? How did he get blessed with such a forgiving son and would that son forgive him for his past misdeeds?

"_Very interesting. Gale, Katniss would either of you care to expand on how you met Peeta?"_

Fennel listened as Rie answers instead and takes credit for hurting Peeta. Why are his boys protecting their mother? Or was Rie protecting Peeta from something else? Or someone else? This was too much to deal with. His boys shouldn't be so far away

_Gale, you're 18. This was your last year in the reaping. Did you think you'd be reaped?_

'What a stupid question' thought Hazel. Granted, Gale did take more tesserae when Peeta moved in but once Peeta could do it himself, he took it as well. Fennel looks over at Hazel, guilt in his eyes as well as on his face. He knew Peeta living with them had been a hardship. "We'll talk after Fennel," Hazel says catching his eyes.

_Katniss, you got the second highest score from your district. What do you think of your chances in the arena?_

Prim and Lily thought the question was lame. Katniss was going to have to kill her friends or watch them die by someone else's hand if she wanted to make it home. How she'd deal with that would have made a more interesting question.

_Peeta, you got the highest score for your district, the same as score as Cato. Would you care tell us how you did that?_

Fennel noticed that Peeta's eyes had flickered off to the side before he answered. Was it to that Cato kid? What did Peeta do to get such a high score?

_One last question for all six of you. I think all of Panem saw the pain in your eyes because of the effects of the reapings – two of you ended up volunteering – of you all as tributes. It's obvious to all of Panem that the six of you are all very close. Discounting the scores from the game makers, who in your group of tributes from District 12 do you, think has the best chance of winning the Hunger Games?_

It was obvious to all those in the Hawthorne house that the response from the kids was planned. No one said the same name twice.

As Caesar wrapped up the interviews, reminding everyone to in the next day to see the tributes enter the arena, Hazel sends the kids off to get ready for bed. Prim got up to help Posy, knowing the adults wanted to have a private conversation.

As soon as the kids were out of the room, Hazel began, "Fennel, I want you to know that having Peeta here was _never_ a burden on this family. In fact, he has been a blessing. And he has been like a son to me." She puts a hand over Fennel's, "He even took tesserae to help."

Lily speaks up, "Peeta has helped my family too. Katniss taught him to hunt with a bow. Once when she got too sick to go, Peeta brought us meat. As soon as Katniss was better, she hunted for extra meat to sell at the butchers and to others to earn money to buy ingredients for Peeta to make bread."

Fennel smiles at the two women, "Thank you both for sharing." He looks down at his hands folded in his lap, tears in his eyes. "There hasn't been a day in the last 6 years that I haven't stopped worrying about him. I can't tell you how many times I've left my house to come see him only to chicken out in fear of my wife." The two women share a sad look. Fennel looks at the clock, wipes his eyes, and stands up. "I better get going. Thank you both."

Hazel gets up and walks Fennel to the door, "Good night Fennel. Remember you're welcome to join us to watch the kids go into the arena."

"I'll be here," Fennel smiles and waves as he walks away.

_The Mellark's house_

Mrs. Mellark is pacing the floor. She watched as her middle son lied through his teeth about being friends with that good for nothing brat Peeta. It was those seam scum. They changed her Rie. And now they were working on her husband. She had Wheet follow his father to see where he went. To hear that he was with that nasty Hawthorne family made her skin crawl.

Her hatred for those living in the seam was deep rooted. At the age of 7, she watched as a starving man from the seam killed her father by beating him over the head with a rock. The man was never caught, never charged. But that wasn't enough to cause her deep hatred. No, it's what happened to her at 17 years old. She had been dating the son of the grocer. They had been together for nearly 2 years, and had recently began talking about raising a family together. She knew in her heart he was going to propose in a couple of weeks – on her 18th birthday. But then a nasty rumor began floating about her and a couple seam boys. It was being said she had been cheating on her boyfriend at the slag heap with 3 seam boys, and that she had been seen at the apothecary's to rid an unwanted pregnancy. None of it was true, but she lost her true love anyway. He wouldn't even hear her out. It made her bitter, cold. When she learned of what had happened to Fennel, she thought she had found someone who would share in her hatred. After all, his love dumped him for a seam man. It wasn't until she was pregnant with the twins that she found out how wrong she was, about him and Mrs. Everdeen. Even pregnant with another man's child, his eyes followed her, wanting her. A woman disowned by her own family to live life as a seam scum.

She's pacing again, waiting for her husband to get home. She is going to lay down the law once and for all. She was going to forbid him from seeing those people again. Especially since they changed her Rie. She knew deep down that her Rie was going to get in the arena and kill those seam scum and come home where he belongs. It was unfortunate that Delly Cartwright and Madge Undersee were with Rie. Either one would've made a lovely wife for him.

Fennel dreaded walking into the house when he saw all the lights on. He knew she was waiting for him to come home. His first thought was to lock himself in his office to avoid her. But he knew she'd either bang on the door until he opened or cause a scene in the morning in the bakery. He sighs knowing it's best to get it over with now. He heads up the stairs.

"Just where were you?" she asks. "And don't bother telling me in town. We both know it's a lie." She sneers.

"I was at the Hawthorne's house," he says rising to his full height, throwing his shoulders back. He was done letting her have control. "And I'm going back tomorrow to watch our _sons_ – that's right sons- enter the arena."

"The hell you are!" she exclaims, hands curling into fists. "You _will_ stay here and watch our only other son go into the arena with your family. You _will_ sit here with Wheet and I cheering as Rie kills those seam scum!" she yelled, face flushed as she steps closer to her husband. "You _will_ do as I say!" she spits.

"Or what?! You'll hit me? Like you did Peeta? You –" he stops when he sees her fist flying towards his face. He catches it in his hand before it connects with his face. "You are a cruel woman, my dear," he spits as he shoves her fist away from him making her stumble back. "Try that again, I _dare_ you!" he says, the deadly look in his eye making her take a step back from him. "I am done with letting you think you can control me! You drove Peeta away and almost drove Rie away. As for Wheet, he's just a puppet on your strings. I will see the bakery burnt to the ground before I ever let him take it over. As for you, just stay the hell away from me. I'm done putting up with your crap!" Without sparing another look at his wife, he went to his office to sleep.

_**Arena Day 1**_

_The Hawthorne house_

Hazel was finished folding the clothes she laundered for the butcher. She even managed to get all the blood stains out. "Rory, I have to return this load laundry. Can you keep an eye on your sister and brother? Or you can take them over to the Everdeen's and wait for me there."

"We'll wait for you here mom," Rory responds.

"Okay. Remember not to answer the door if it's not me or the Everdeen's," she says as she walks out the door.

Rory pulls out an old deck of cards and the three kids begin to build card houses. The cards had been a gift from Gale and thinking about that day makes Rory smile sadly. He thinks about how Gale was going to take him to the forest for _special hunting training _once the reapings were over. But Gale, and Peeta, got reaped and Rory never got to go into the forest. Rory had walked to the fence the other day to look out at the forest. Whatever was out there had made Gale and Peeta, not happy exactly, but satisfied. Rory really wanted to know that feeling.

The sound of his siblings fighting brought him out of his sad thoughts and he quieted the two down. They decided to build one big card tower when a rock had come crashing through the window. Rory grabbed Posy and Vick's hands and they all hid in the bathroom until Hazel came home. When she saw the broken window, she ran frantically into the house to make sure her kids were okay. She got frightened when she saw the cards scattered all over the floor and no kids.

"Rory! Vick! Posy! Where are you?" she called out.

Her kids came running from the bathroom and she hugged them all tightly, thankful they were okay. She made Posy and Vick sit at the dinner table coloring while she and Rory cleaned up the glass and covered the broken window with some plastic and boards. When they were done, they began making lunch.

_The Everdeen house_

Lily walked into the house just after sunrise, after delivering yet another baby. Prim had gone with her to begin her own training. They sat down on the sofa and were soon asleep. They woke up a couple hours later, feeling surprisingly refreshed. They get cleaned up and get ready to head over to the Hawthorne's.

"I'm going to milk Lady before we go," Prim says.

"Okay dear. I think I might grab my knitting to take with me," Lily says. As she's going through her bag making sure she has everything, she hears a loud scream. She runs to the back door where she finds Prim cradling a bloody Buttercup, sobbing loudly.

"Why would anyone want to hurt him mom?" she asks through her sobs when Lily puts her arm around her.

"I don't know why honey. Let's find something to wrap him up in to bury him," Lily says trying to keep her voice calm for Prim's sake. She honestly didn't know why anyone would hurt the cat. And everyone loved Prim. It just didn't make any sense.

"Can we use that ratty old throw that Buttercup liked to lay on in front of the fire in the winter? The one that used to be my baby blanket?" Prim asks sniffling.

"I'll go get it while you say your goodbyes," Lily says as she goes to retrieve the blanket. When she comes back, she hands Prim the blanket before heading to the shed to get the shovel. She sees Lady is still hidden inside and is grateful for that small blessing. Prim meets her mother outside the shed, Buttercup wrapped in the blanket.

"Let's bury him next to the garden. It was his favorite place to play," Prim says with a sad smile. They walk over and Lily digs the hole. When she's dug deep enough, Prim gently lays Buttercups body down. "Goodbye Buttercup. I'll never forget you." Prim takes the shovel from her mother and buries her cat. Lily takes the shovel to put it away as Prim goes to change out of the bloody clothes. Neither says anything as they head over to the Hawthorne's, the milking of Lady forgotten in their sorrow.

_The Mellark's house_

Fennel was alone, cleaning after a very busy morning of filling orders. He hasn't seen his wife since the fight last night and he was thankful for that. Wheet had worked the register and filled the orders but neither father nor son spoke about anything other than work. Once he told Wheet to lock the door and turn the sign to 'closed', Fennel began gathering the bread he was taking to Hazel and Lily. At the last minute, he decided to grab a small cake as well knowing that the children would love it.

As he walked to the Hawthorne's house, he was greeted several seam families on their way to watch the game in town. As he watched these families walk past him, he noticed how underfed the children really were. It was heartbreaking to know that there wasn't anything he could do to help. It made him angry that the Capitol didn't care enough for those living in the poorer, outer districts. These were the children who could someday be reaped, sent to their deaths, if they didn't die of starvation first. As he passed a young couple with their toddler, he stopped them and tried to hand them a loaf of bread. He figured that Lily and Hazel probably still had some left over from the night before and wouldn't mind if he gave the loaf to this family. When the husband tried to refuse, Fennel said, "My two sons are about to go into the arena soon. Please, take it in honor of them." The young father took the bread with a promise to repay him somehow. Fennel just smiled and moved on. He soon reached the Hawthorne's and what he found there shocked him to the core.

_The Hawthorne house_

Hazel let Fennel in and took the bread and cake into the kitchen. She invited him to join them for lunch of leftovers. As they sat down to eat, Fennel noticed the boarded up window and an unusually sullen Prim.

"I don't mean to be intrusive, but what happened to your window?" he asks.

"Someone threw a rock through our window," Rory replies. "I was home watching Vick and Posy while mom was out returning some laundry to the butcher."

"I see," says Fennel. "And is everyone okay?" he asks worry lacing his voice. He has come to care about this family and it hurt him to know someone could do something like this to such nice people.

"We're all fine," answers Rory, taking hold of Prim's hand. "But someone killed Buttercup."

Fennel looked at Prim, the sadness in her eyes making him sad. "I'm so sorry Prim. How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay. Thank you for asking Mr. Mellark," Prim says quietly.

Fennel turns to the two women, "Do you have any idea who would do this to your families?" he asks.

"No, just some coward, or cowards, that scared the children," Hazel answers. "We would've gone to the peacekeepers but they'd be no help at all. I know Gale and Katniss would trade with Cray and Darius, but what can they do? Especially with the games starting today?"

The rest of the lunch was eaten in silence. Hazel served the cake when everyone was done eating, letting the children eat theirs in the living room. Soon the anthem began playing and the adults went in to watch. Caesar's ever happy voice welcoming to the opening day of the 75th annual Hunger Games before showing the audience exactly what the tributes were up against. The living room was filled with silent dread.

The screen split into 6 different shots as the District 12 tributes came up from their tubes. They hear Seneca Crane talking about hidden backpacks and 2 tributes who won a chance at a head start. Posy crawls into her mother's lap as the countdown begins. Rory reaches over and grabs Prim's hand, giving and receiving support. They all watch shocked as the 6 kids from 12 dive into the water and swim to shore. Fennel watches as Peeta teams up with a career from District 2, holding hands as they run into the jungle. He checks his other son and sees him running into the jungle alone with two career tributes following him. Lily watches her daughter swimming to shore. She sees a male from District 1 start throwing rocks and fears he's going to hit her. But when the rocks are being thrown at another tribute and Katniss makes it safely to shore, she is relieved. Relief turns to shock as she watches the two run into the jungle together, hand in hand. But the shock that Lily and Fennel felt watching their children join up with careers was nothing compared to the shock of watching Gale team up with the brute career from District 2. It was Prim who pointed out the obvious.

"Look, they've all teamed up with careers except Rie who's alone and Madge who's with the giant from 11." She turns to face the adults. "If Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and Madge all joined with careers, why didn't Rie? He has two following him." No one has an answer and Prim turns back to the TV.

They watch in silence as backpacks are found and Marvel and Thresh kill tributes to protect Katniss and Madge respectively. They watch as Delly falls out of a tree. They hear 14 cannons go off. They listen as Caesar and Claudius Templesmith discuss the 12 zones the tributes are about to enter. They see Clove and Peeta enter a maze, Gale and Cato enter a desert, Katniss and Marvel enter a cave, Delly and Glimmer enter a rain forest, Rie enter the ruined city, and Madge and Thresh enter a winter tundra. They watch Clove kill a tribute with her knife throwing skill, Gale and Cato get stuck in a sand storm, Delly and Glimmer nearly drown, Rie rescuing and teaming up with the young girl from 11, Marvel comforting a very shaken Katniss, and Thresh and Madge nearly freezing to death. All this they watch in utter and total silence for fear of missing something.

But nothing could prepare them for the events about to unfold as their tributes reach the beach surrounding the cornucopia. They watch as Thresh, Madge, Delly, Glimmer, Rie, Rue, Katniss, and Marvel all greet each other with hugs before they head over to the cornucopia. The screen suddenly splits into two. They watch on the edge of their seats as Peeta and Clove run towards Gale and Cato. They all scream as Gale and Cato go flying through the air, barely hearing Peeta scream out Cato's name in horror. No one is more shocked to see Peeta crying over the large boy, begging him to be okay than Fennel. He watches mouth agape as a red haired girl saves Cato; and the looks, touches, and kisses the two boys share. The screen changes once again as they all come together. Madge gets hit with a knife, Marvel takes out the tribute. But the hardest part for Fennel to watch was Rie and Peeta discuss the picture and its aftermath.

"Peeta had a twin?!" Lily asks shocked. "Oh Fennel, I'm so sorry. How come no one knew?"

"Two people knew, Haymitch and the woman he hired to deliver Peeta and his sister. We were planning on throwing a party to announce the birth of the twins. Only Michetta got sick and there was apparently nothing we could do. When our daughter died, _she_ changed." Fennel said tears sliding down his cheeks. "Haymitch took care of the body and we made him swear never to tell." They turn back to the TV in time to see Peeta and Cato kiss again. But Lily and Fennel were unprepared for what they hear next – their shared history. Both are embarrassed. Fennel can only imagine what his wife is thinking now. Going home was going to be bad. They continued watching until the kids went to bed and Caesar came on to wish everyone a good night. Rory turns off the TV and with Prim's help, take the two youngest children to get ready for bed. After all that had been revealed, he knew the adults would need some privacy.

Hazel shares a conspiratorial look with Lily before turning to Fennel, "We should talk about Peeta."

He looks at her, confusion on his face. "What about Peeta?"

"That boy, Cato isn't the first boy Peeta's been with," Hazel says holding her hand up silently asking for another moment. "Do you remember Finnick O'dair? The winner of the 65th games?" Fennel can only nod. "He and Peeta had a secret relationship. They'd meet when Finnick would come see Haymitch."

"Finnick's like in his 20's right? What was he doing with a young boy like Peeta? Wait, Haymitch knew Peeta before the games?" Fennel is confused and trying hard to deal with this new information about Peeta.

"Peeta and Finnick were just friends for a long time before it changed into a more 'romantic' situation," Hazel says unsure how to tell Peeta's father that his son was engaged in sexual activities with another male. "They kept that a secret."

"How do you know this?" Fennel asks quietly, not sure if he really wants to know.

"Peeta told me. It was his first relationship and his heart got broken. He needed someone to talk to. I don't know the details of what happened, just that they decided to remain friends." Hazel tells him.

Fennel sits back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to process everything that has happened, and everything he's learned about Peeta.

"Are you okay?" Lily asks concerned.

"Yeah, I just never imagined my son was…" Fennel can't bring himself to say the word.

"He's gay Fennel. It's okay to use the word. He came to me when he was about 14 years old, crying. He was worried about how you would feel, that you'd be disappointed in him." Lily tells him.

"Why would I be disappointed? Because he's gay? He's my son and I love him!" Fennel says frantic that his son would think that. "If anything he should be disappointed with me, I did nothing to protect him from his mother." Then a new thought crosses his mind, "Oh no! Not only did our sons air our dirty laundry, Peeta kissed that boy! I can only imagine what _she's_ thinking now."

"Fennel, everybody in 12 knows what your wife is like. As for the loss of your daughter and Peeta's sexual preferences, don't deny them. Embrace them. You only hurt yourself if you ignore them. I doubt what people heard and saw today will change their opinions much. And if they do, just keep your chin up. Don't give in to their opinions." Lily says smiling at him. "It hasn't changed my opinion of you."

"Mine either," adds Hazel. "And Lily's right. I mean you've been seen coming here to watch with us. Many in the seam find it brave of you." Hazel tells him.

He's surprised that anyone in the seam thinks anything about him. "Me? Brave? I'm not brave. Brave would've been standing up and keeping Peeta at home all those years." Fennel says sadly. "I should've done more, for all of you when you took him in."

"Mr. Mellark?" Prim says coming into the living room. "Peeta always spoke of you with love. He wouldn't want you to be sad." All the adults turn to look at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." She turns her attention to Fennel, "Being brave isn't just standing up for what you believe in, it's also accepting responsibility for your actions."

"Primrose Everdeen, when did you become such a smart, insightful young lady?" Fennel asks as he stands up. "I'm going to go now." He says turning to Hazel and Lily. "Thank you both for everything. You've all given me a lot to think about."

"Good night Fennel," Lily says as she stands. "Don't be so harsh on yourself. Everything will be okay."

"I'll walk you to the door," Hazel says. "Thank you for coming and for the cake. You are more than welcome to join us again tomorrow." She opens the door to let him out.

"You're welcome. And I would love to come back tomorrow." He smiles at her before turning and heading home, thoughts swirling around his head like a swarm of angry bees.

_The Mellark house_

Wheet left the room as soon as he heard his brothers telling the others about their dead sister. He was very confused about it all. He couldn't leave the house as the games were still on and the peacekeepers were out in force. He hid in his father's office instead, hoping that he'd be willing to answer his questions that his mother refused to.

Fennel was shocked to find Wheet in his office, "Why are you in here son?" he asks.

"I came in here to think and to get away from mother. She was acting strange. I had tried to ask her about the baby that died and she tried to hit me. She's never done that before." Wheet says sadly.

"She tried to hit you?" Fennel asks disbelievingly. She's never raised a hand to Wheet.

"Yeah, but I managed to duck and she missed." Wheet replies looking up at his dad. "Dad, would you please tell me what's going on? Did I really have a sister? And why does mother hate Peeta so much?"

Fennel sighs as he sits at his desk and pulls a picture out of his desk, handing it to his son. "This is Peeta and your sister, Michetta." Fennel tells how she died; how his wife was depressed and refused to leave the bedroom for a year; and how when she did, she refused to have anything to do with Peeta.

"You were there when Peeta took his first step," Fennel says smiling wide at his son.

"I was? I don't remember that." Wheet says.

"Well, you were only 4. I don't expect you to remember." Fennel says shaking his head. "Once Peeta began walking, he would get into everything. Having no patience for him, your mother would get upset. You were a big help until she decided you needed to learn the family business. When Peeta was 5, he wanted to learn like his big brothers. No matter how well he did, your mother always found something wrong. I didn't understand it for a longtime, not until she kicked him out." Fennel looked down defeated.

"What didn't you understand?" Wheet asked confused.

"That she blamed Peeta for living," he answered quietly.

"But he was just a baby! He had no control over what happened." Wheet exclaims.

"I know that son. What I mean is she blamed Peeta for living while the daughter she always wanted died." Fennel explains.

"Are you saying that if Peeta had been the one to die, Mother would be different?"

"I honestly don't know son," Fennel replies shaking his head.

"Dad, can I ask you another question?" Fennel nods. "Why have you been going to the Hawthorne house? Are you cheating on mom?"

Fennel looks at his son, shocked. "What? No, I'm not having an affair. I've been going there to deliver bread and to watch your brothers. I've actually learned a lot about Peeta." He says, pride in his voice.

"Like what?" Wheet asks genuinely curious.

"Things like he still paints and bakes. Apparently, he makes the best cheese buns." They laugh. "They took really good care of him when I should've. Now I may never get the chance to tell Peeta how sorry I am for not being there when he needed me." Fennel says thinking about what he learned tonight.

Before Wheet has a chance to say anything, there was a loud crash from upstairs. The two men run upstairs to find the TV in pieces on the floor.

"What happened?" Fennel asks even though he doesn't really want to put up with his wife's theatrics.

"I'll tell you what happened. That devil child of yours is going to ruin this family!" she screams, chest heaving in anger. "That, that boy of yours told everyone our family secret. And how did he find out? His father told him! Why would you do that? Why would you sully our daughter's memory like that?" she asks yelling.

"He deserved to know," Fennel yells back no longer afraid to stand up to his wife. "He needed to know why the mother he loved so much hated him! He deserved better than us and he found it!"

"Where? In the arms of that large boy from 2? I always knew that boy was wrong in the head, painting like a girl."

"Actually," Fennel says calmly, surprising even himself. "I was referring to the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's. They gave him the love and support that we, as his _parents_, should've given him."

"Wait, is Peeta gay?" Wheet asks a little confused.

"Were you watching Rie or Peeta tonight?" Fennel asks his son, ignoring the death glare from his wife.

"Rie," Wheet admits sheepishly. "I left the room when they began to tell the group about the picture."

"Oh, so what you missed was your brother's boyfriend nearly being blown to bits. Apparently your brother met Cato during training. Cato seems very protective of your brother and Peeta looks very happy when he's near him." He turns to his wife and adds mockingly, "Cato isn't his first relationship either. He was with Finnick O'dair first."

"No way dad! Peeta knows Finnick? That is so cool!" Wheet suddenly realizes who he's talking about. He starts firing off questions. "Isn't Finnick like 7 years older than Peeta? How could the date? How did they even meet?"

"Yes, there is a 7 year difference. They met through Haymitch, ironically enough. Peeta and Finnick would meet at his house, spending time together." He turns to his wife smirking. "It eventually became sexual."

"How can you be proud of that filth? He is nothing but a disgrace to this family! He will not be mentioned in this house again. That is final!" she spits venomously.

"Peeta is my son and I will talk about him whenever and however I want. I am proud of him, proud that he is my son. I don't care that he is gay." Fennel states before turning to walk away. "Oh, one more thing _darling,"_ he says not bothering to turn around. _ "_If Peeta is the one to make it home, I am going to make sure he knows that I love him, Just. The. Way. He. Is." Fennel walks out of the room on his way to his office. He could overhear his son talking.

"Why mom? Why do you hate Peeta so much? And why did you twist everything to make me hate him? I don't understand you. I can't even look at you." Wheet spits at his mother.

"You're an ungrateful brat just like your brothers! You can rot in hell, all of you!" she screams.

Wheet joins his father in his office. "I'm so sorry dad. I let mom twist things and now…" he begins to sob. Fennel holds his son letting him cry.

"It's okay son. I'm just as much to blame as you are. I knew what your mother was doing was wrong and I still let her do it. I was weak." He tilts his sons head to look him in his tear filled eyes. "The best thing that ever happened to me was you boys. I love you all."

"I love you too dad. Can I stay in here with you tonight?"

"Sure thing son. Let me get you some blankets." Fennel pulls some extra blankets from behind the couch and makes Wheet a bed on the floor. As he watches his oldest son sleep, he realizes he was wrong about him this whole time.

_**Arena Day 2**_

_Mellark Bakery_

Eliza is working the register while Fennel and Wheet are busy trying to keep up with the orders. Cheese buns being the big seller of the day. As Fennel takes another tray of the buns out to put in the display case, he overhears two patrons talking about how Peeta and Rie had received cheese buns earlier that morning. Then he hears another add that Delly and Madge received them too. He smiles to himself as he heads back to the kitchen. He walks over to the little TV on the counter and turns it on.

On screen is a recap of what happened earlier that morning, when Peeta and Rie receive their parachutes. Fennel smiles a sad smile as he watches his youngest hug his boyfriend. He's startled by Wheet's voice.

"So, that's Peeta's boy toy? Kinda scary, like he could snap my neck with just one arm. Although, he's actually quite handsome. Good for Peeta." Wheet says walking out with yet another tray of cheese buns. Fennel isn't sure how to respond to Wheet's characterization of Cato or the pride that he heard in his son's voice. He wants to laugh but is too stunned.

An hour later, they close up for the games. Wheet looks at his dad packing up some bread for the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's. "Hey dad, can I come with you to watch the games?"

"That would be nice son. Can you be ready to go in 30 minutes?"

"Yep. Just let me tell Eliza that I'll see her tomorrow."

_The Hawthorne house_

Prim and Rory were playing tag with Vick and Posy. Prim had talked her mother into letting her stay the night, unable to stand going home knowing that Buttercup wouldn't be there waiting for her. Lily went to check on the house and Lady before returning and staying as well, knowing Prim would need her.

In the house, the TV was on but neither woman was watching it. They had just been visited by Thom. He had told them that he was walking by the slag heap the night before, looking for his younger brother, when he overheard a group of boys talking about how one of them was paid to scare the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's. It was too dark to see if the boys were townies or from the seam. So whoever threw the rock and killed Buttercup could have been from either side of town.

A knock on the door brings the women out of their thoughts. Hazel opens the door to find Fennel and Wheet loaded down with bread and pastries. "Hello Fennel, Wheet. Won't you come in?"

"Thank you Mrs. Hawthorne." Wheet says entering the house. As he looks around, he is surprised to find that he thinks the house is charming. It makes him smile to know that this is where Peeta lives. He turns to Hazel, "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you Wheet. Why don't we head into the living room, the games are on." She wasn't expecting the boy to be so kind.

As they walk in and sit, Fennel apologizes for being late, "We delivered some bread to a couple of families. Cookies too."

"That's very kind of you both." Lily says. "I'm sure those families really appreciate that."

Just then the kids came in and are surprised to see a new face in their living room. Posy walks up to Wheet. "You look like my brother Peeta and my brother Rie. Do you know them?"

Wheet smiles down at the little girl, "Yes, I do know them. I'm their oldest brother Wheet." He tells her.

"I'm Posy. If brother Peeta and brother Rie are your brothers than you're my brother too." Posy tells him matter-of-factly. "Brother Peeta taught me to paint. Do you paint brother Wheet? Do you want to see my paintings?"

Wheet smiles widely, "Sorry Posy, I don't paint. But I would love to see your paintings." He's surprised when she grabs his hand and pulls him with her saying, "Come on brother Wheet."

Before the adults could react to the scene they just witnessed between Wheet and Posy, the anthem plays and Caesar is welcoming to the second day of the games. He gives a brief rundown of the events from the day before including the deaths that had occurred. Wheet and Posy come back just as the day's events were beginning, Posy crawling into Wheet's lap. The opening shot for the day is Cato and Peeta's hot kiss.

"That's brother Peeta and his boyfriend Cato. They like to hug and kiss," she tells Wheet. "Do you have a boyfriend too brother Wheet?"

Wheet blushes slightly at how open Posy is about Peeta, "No, I don't have a boyfriend. But I do have a girlfriend that I am going to marry soon."

"Oh, is she pretty?"

"Yes, but not as pretty as you." Wheet says giving Posy a big smile.

The two turn their attention back to the TV. They watch as Peeta's group leave Cato and Gale's group; as Madge, Clove, and Marvel kill 2 tributes; Rie and Cato talking about Peeta's abuse and the two of them killing more tributes (Wheet covers Posy's eyes so she wouldn't see her 'brother' killing); Peeta getting his art supplies and drawing while the rest of the group explores; Cato and Gale talking about Peeta's relationship problems; Peeta and his group going to the ruined city, watching Clove get hurt and Peeta carrying her back; the two groups coming back together; and Peeta showing his drawings.

Posy had fallen asleep on Wheet's lap sometime before Peeta's group went into the ruined city. Hazel smiles sadly as she remembers Posy falling asleep on Peeta's lap often. She offers to take Posy from him but he just shakes his head saying, "Strangely, it makes me feel closer to Peeta. I don't know why, but I like it. I miss him."

"Your brother used to hold her like that until she fell asleep. You look a lot like him. It's probably why she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in your lap." Hazel tells him. He gives her a smile before turning back to the TV.

"Hey, when did they get the bed?" Wheet asks before his father could.

"Peeta and Cato got it at midnight last night," Prim answers. "They showed it this morning during the recap. They have really good sponsors it seems."

They watch as Peeta and Cato offer the bed to Clove and Rue. "Peeta always was very generous." Rory says. "He would share his art supplies with us on rainy days when we were bored."

"He was that way with his toys when he was Posy's age too," adds Fennel. "Delly and Madge were his playmates. He always let them play with his favorite toys."

"He wouldn't let Rie or me. Said we were to rough," laughs Wheet. "You know dad, I think that Cato kid is not as bad as I thought. He did ask a lot of questions about the family. Maybe not the ones that show us well, but he does want to know more about Peeta." He pauses a moment, "I wish we could meet him, show him we aren't as bad as we sound."

"Me too Wheet, me too." Fennel says sadly.

Rory sees Vick's eyes drooping and takes him to bed. He comes out a few moments later, "He's out mom. Wasn't able to get him to brush his teeth though," he says sitting back down by Prim.

"Oh Peeta, keep it in your pants! There's children watching!" Wheet exclaims as he watches Peeta climbs on Cato's lap as they're making out. Luckily Caesar cut in to wish everyone a good night so not too much was shown. "Wow, I never want to see that again. I just learned about Peeta being gay. I'm happy for him, but seeing that was a little too much." Everyone laughs, understanding what he was saying. Hazel stood up to take Posy to bed. She then goes into the kitchen and puts a pot on the stove.

When she comes back out, Hazel and Lily fill Fennel in on Thom's visit earlier. Wheet's face pales. He hadn't heard about the window or Buttercup. "I could go by there tonight and see if I can learn anything if you'd like," Wheet offers. He has come to like the two families that took care of Peeta and wants to help.

"Thank you for the offer Wheet, but I don't want to involve any more people in our problems. Besides, I know you have a toasting coming up. You probably still have things to prepare for that." Hazel says smiling warmly at him. "We missed dinner, can I offer you all some rabbit stew?"

They all go into the kitchen and eat, sharing stories of Rie, Peeta, Katniss, and Gale growing up. It makes the pain of knowing they might die lessen somewhat. Wheet helps Prim and Rory with the dishes, getting to know them a little better. It was late when the two Mellark men walked the two Everdeen's home before heading home themselves.

The games had brought the three families closer together, each wishing that their kids could all just come home….

**Sorry for taking so long and for any spelling and grammatical errors. Between work and getting sick, I didn't have the time or energy to get on my computer. The good news is that the next two chapters are hand written and the next chapter is already half way typed up. Tonight I'm going to see **_**the Hobbit **_**so no typing tonight. Hopefully should have time this weekend. No major plans that I'm aware of, should be a quiet weekend.**


	11. Chapter 11 Arena Day 3

_**The Games We Played**_

_**Mhardman: **_**Glad you liked this chapter. I wasn't sure it would be received well. But I had fun writing it. My goal was to show just how much the families missed the tributes. I'm sorry that I made you cry. **

_**Rolyn: **_**I'm so happy that I caused you such a reaction from you. Yes, Mrs. Mellark is definitely a major bitch and definitely deserves what's coming to her. You'll see soon I promise. **

_**MangoMagic:**_** The last chapter was definitely a 'filler' chapter. I, too, love Prim and Rory. I thought I'd show how they connected now that their older siblings are in the arena. I also needed some time away from the arena, a short break if you will. This chapter was difficult for me because, well you'll see. As for meeting Cato's parents, are you reading my mind? I was thinking about bringing them in soon… **

_**lincolnlog89: **_**Buttercup's death wasn't in my original plan for the story. I like doing the 'bonus chapters' as it gives me a break from trying to keep track of the 13 tributes plus their 'competition'. (And I had to sort through my 8 plus pages of tribute/arena notes lol.) Finnick will be back soon, but whether he will cause problems or whether he lets Peeta go remains to be seen. I have notes for both scenarios. Which I'll choose depends on what happens in the next chapter or 2 ;)**

Chapter 11: Arena Day 3

Peeta wakes up alone on the bed. He sits up looking for Cato, finding him sitting on the log taking care of his sword. Peeta stays on the bed watching him, the way his muscles flex and relax as he moves. He can feel a stirring in his groin and forces himself to look away, missing the look of longing from the older blonde.

Peeta looks at his friends. He sees they've all broken off into smaller groups. Katniss is quietly talking to Marvel, sitting hip to hip. Gale and Clove are also sitting together talking in hushed tones. Peeta notices that the bandage is off Clove's ankle and she's back in her shoes. Rue and Rie are eating some dried fruit together. Glimmer and Madge are off to the side, shooting arrows at a tree. Thresh, Delly, and Foxface are talking together as well. Peeta is shocked out of his perusal when Clove plops herself down on the bed.

"Hey Bread Boy, now that you're finally awake are you ready to give me my lessons now?" she asks nudging his shoulder with her own.

"Sure thing Clover," he replies nudging her back. "Just let me put this bed away first."

He's not surprised when she gets up and helps him put it away. What shocks him, shocks them all, is the cannon blasts going off - five in total. With the one that interrupted him and Cato last night makes six. Peeta's mind wanders to the night before, the feeling of Cato's lips on his own. Had the cannon not gone off, how far would they have gone? He knows he cares for Cato, a lot, but is he ready for a physical relationship with the older blonde? He can't deny that he would like to be physical with Cato, to feel their bodies come together as one. But being where they are isn't the most ideal location. He wonders if Cato would be willing to wait until they're out of the arena. His thoughts are interrupted yet again by Clove.

"Stop drooling over Muscles and let's go," she says teasingly. "You can moon over him later."

He looks at her with wide eyes. She's far too perceptive as far as Peeta was concerned. She leans closer to him.

"He was lying there watching you sleep this morning. I had to tell him to go clean his sword before it rusted," she whispers. "If I hadn't said anything, you wouldn't have gotten the sleep you needed and the viewing public would have gotten quite the show."

Peeta's not quite sure why she's telling him all that, probably to embarrass him – which it did. He does feel well rested though. He looks over to Cato one more time. He sees Cato smile at him and he smiles back. He watches as Gale waves his hand in front of Cato's face to get his attention back. Peeta forces himself to turn to Clove.

"You got the stars?" he asks her, trying to refocus.

She shows him the stars and they move a safe distance away from the group but staying within eyesight. They spend the next hour throwing the stars at a tree. They only stop when Peeta's stomach growls.

"Sorry Peeta," Clove says. "I probably should have let you eat first. I was just really excited to learn."

"It's fine Clove. You've done amazingly. In fact, I want you to take three of them for yourself. Besides, I have my bow." Peeta says smiling at her. He's surprised when she hugs him. But when she immediately follows it with a punch in the arm, he just shakes his head. It was so like her.

They walk back into the camp and over to the pile of backpacks so Peeta could grab something to eat. He grabs the four rolls from last night and some dried meat before going to sit by Cato.

"How was the lesson?" Cato asks.

"She's really good with them. I gave her three of them," Peeta replies before beginning to eat.

Cato watches as Peeta eats. He can't believe how lucky he is to have Peeta with him. He thinks back to the night before, how soft the skin of Peeta's back was, how it felt to hold him in his arms. He's more than thankful the cannon went off when it did. He certainly doesn't want his first time with Peeta to be seen by the viewing public. He wonders if the younger boy would feel the same. He focuses his attention on Peeta again who has finished eating. He leans over and kisses Peeta on his temple.

"What was that for?" Peeta asks.

"No reason." Cato replies as he takes Peeta's hand in his own. "Do you want to take a walk with me? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Sure, let's go." Peeta says standing up. He hopes it's nothing bad. He pulls Cato up and they walk off hand in hand.

"Hey you two stay where we can see you," Clove yells to them.

"And no funny business either," adds Gale. He and Clove start laughing. Peeta and Cato look back at them with annoyance before walking away.

Just past where Peeta gave Clove her lesson, the two boys stop. Peeta looks up expectantly at Cato.

"Um, about last night, I'm sorry that I almost took it too far. Had the cannon not gone off…?" Cato says sheepishly.

"Actually, if we're being honest, I'm glad the cannon went off as well." Peeta says reassuringly. "I don't want all of Panem to be watching when we decide we're ready for that."

"So, you don't mind waiting?" Cato asks.

"Not if you don't." Peeta replies.

"Well, now that that's settled," Cato rubs the back of his neck. "There's something I want to ask you." Cato says nervously.

"You can ask me anything Cato," Peeta says softly.

"I was hoping that, well, um, maybe that you'llbemyboyfriend." Cato says anxiously looking down at his feet.

"Cato, I didn't understand the last part. Can you repeat it?" Peeta says with a smile, despite understanding perfectly well what Cato said.

Cato takes a deep breath and with eyes closed asks, "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Peeta, smiling widely, pulls Cato's face to his own. "Look at me Cato." Cato opens his eyes. "I would love to be your boyfriend," Peeta whispers before kissing him.

Cato puts his arms around Peeta's waist, lifts him, and swings him in a circle.

"Put me down you fool!" Peeta demands laughing wrapping his arms around Cato's neck.

"Never," says Cato. "You're my boyfriend and I'll swing you around if I want." He spins in another circle to prove his point.

He sets Peeta back on his feet and kisses him one more time, this one filled with joy and happiness. They walk back to the camp, smiles wide on both their faces.

"You two look like cats that got the canary, what's with the smiles?" Marvel asks as the two make their way over to the rest of the group.

Cato pulls Peeta in front of him, his back to Cato's chest, as he wraps his arms around Peeta. "This amazing, wonderful, sweet, sexy guy has just agreed to be my boyfriend," Cato says proudly as he kisses Peeta's neck. Peeta's cheeks flush a bright red but he smiles as his fingers interlock with Cato's.

"So, Muscles decided to make things official by asking. Took you long enough," Clove teases. "Never thought I'd live to see the day you'd get serious about anyone."

"Oh Clover, your jealousy is showing," Cato says teasing her back. "Is it just because you haven't found your prince charming yet?"

Clove's cheeks turn a bright red but she decides to let Cato have this one – for now.

"So, what's the plan for today?" asks Glimmer changing the subject, a little jealous of the new couple.

Just then the ground began to shake.

"What was that?" Delly asks nervously.

"The cornucopia is back," says Rue pointing. She was up in a tree, holding on tightly.

"Should we go check it out?" Madge asks. "There might be something we can use."

"But we were told to stay here, where it's safe," Katniss grumbles, not wanting to leave.

"Why don't some of us go," Peeta suggests looking up at Cato. "Madge is right, there could be stuff there we could use, extra water bottles, weapons, a change of clothes." He was feeling a little grungy wearing the same clothes for three days.

"I agree with Peeta and Madge," Gale says. "We can go with just a few of us; the rest can stay here to watch our stuff and the camp."

It's decided that Glimmer, Gale, Clove, Marvel, Peeta, and Cato will go and check out the cornucopia. They grab just their weapons. Marvel goes over to Katniss. "I'll be back. Stay safe. Keep your bow with you at all times until I get back."

Katniss looks up into his green eyes, "You better come back," she says before kissing him quickly on his lips. He has a look of shock on his face before a grin breaks out.

"Let's go Marv. You can make out later," Cato calls out causing them to blush.

"Cato!" Peeta admonishes. "Be nice, please," he amends when he sees Cato's saddened face. He leans in to whisper, "It's her first boyfriend. Let them have a moment."

"Really?" Cato whispers back, stunned. "I thought her and Gale…"

Peeta shakes his head, "Nope, just friends."

Clove walks up and takes Peeta by the arm, "Come on Bread Boy, let's go. You and I are leading this group to the cornucopia." She turns to Cato, "You and Gale are bringing up the rear. And don't even say it Muscles!" she says, pointing one of her knives at him. "No butt jokes! We need to be serious now. Lives are on the line."

"Fine Clover. But I will enjoy the view of my boyfriend's ass and even you can't do anything about that." Cato smirks wagging his eyebrows.

"Cato!" Clove and Peeta exclaim. Cato just laughs as he walks over to Gale.

They make their way quickly and cautiously over to the cornucopia. Glimmer and Gale go inside while Peeta, Cato, Clove, and Marvel take up posts just in front of the opening. As she looks through the rubber boxes, she comes across one filled with t-shirts, cargo pants, underwear, and bras.

"Cool, clean clothes," she squeals taking the box and setting it near the mouth of the cornucopia.

Gale checked out the weapons hanging on the wall. He shook his head at the rusted damage that had been done while the cornucopia had been submerged for the past 2 days. "Such a waste," he mutters as he turns and opens the plastic box closest to him. Inside is a plain wooden box. He opens the wooden box and is shocked at what he sees.

"Peeta, come here for a minute." He calls hoping that Peeta will be as excited as himself.

"What'd ya find?" he asks curious about the excitement in Gale's voice.

"Look for yourself," he says, gesturing into the box moving to the side. Peeta goes to stand where Gale was and looks down. Inside the wooden box was the most beautiful looking Katana lying on a bed of purple velvet Peeta had ever seen. He picks it up by the red handle and noticed that it matched the sheath cover that was still in the box. The metal of the sword shined like new. Peeta smiled as he swung it.

"You should take it," Gale says. "You're really good with one of those." Peeta grins at his best friend and brother. He drapes his bow over his shoulder and offers his extra arrows to Gale who refuses to take them, for now.

"Peeta, get your sexy ass out here! We got company!" Cato calls out.

Peeta looks at Gale, "Stay here and keep looking! We'll keep you safe."

Gale nods and Peeta runs to the opening. He can see two tributes running across the bridge. What he missed was the shocked looks from Clove and Marvel, who didn't know that Peeta could use a sword of any type.

"You any good with that?" Marvel asks.

"Just watch and see," Peeta replies. He looks at Cato, signaling him to stay where he was. Cato just stares without replying as Peeta runs to the bridge and waits for the coming tributes, sword at the ready.

"Where'd they get their weapons?" Clove asks as she sees that they are indeed armed.

"Probably mentor gifts," Marvel replies watching Peeta intently.

The female tribute from District 11 reaches Peeta first. She takes a swing at him with her sickle. Peeta jumps back to avoid being hit. Cato starts to head over to help but Peeta's command of "Don't!" stops him in his tracks. He watches as his boyfriend takes a step towards the girl and swings the blade, decapitating the girl. The district one female that had been following falters in her step before growling at Peeta and bringing her own sword from behind her back. Peeta backs up, letting the girl come off the bridge. The two begin circling each other until the girls back is to Cato. Peeta smiles at his boyfriend to let him know that he could jump in at any time. Cato saunters up and clears his throat, startling the girl. She turns slightly then backs up a little so as to keep both boys in her sight. The sword play between the three tributes went unnoticed by Clove and Marvel.

Clove and Marvel could hear the clanging of metal to their right, but the hiss of an arrow flying by them a moment ago caught their attention.

"Hello _Marvelous, Clover_. Whatchya guarding?"

Marvel looks up to see 2 males less than 50 feet from him and Clove. Both were careers, one from D2 and the other from D4. The district 4 male was holding a spear; the district 2 male had a bow.

Clove looks at Marvel and raises two fingers. He understands it to mean that she'll take the district 2 male. He takes on the boy from district 4. Clove takes 2 of her knives and steps towards her district mate.

"You were always good with those girly. But from a distance," he sneers. "But let's see how well you do close up."

Clove just smirks. Cato had taught her how to fight knife-to-sword secretly at the academy. "Bring it on tough guy," she says venomously.

The two take small steps towards each other, circling. Clove desperately wants to show the idiot in front of her how much she knows. He takes a swing but she blocks it before swiping at him with her knife. He jumps back but still gets nicked.

"I'll take you piece by piece if I have to," she says prepared for his next move.

He lunges at her, sword aimed at her heart. She spins away and stabs him in his lower back, causing him to scream. She spins to face him, knives at the ready. He swings his sword aiming for her neck, but she blocks him easily. She manages to thrust a knife towards his arm, cutting him deep.

"You bitch!" he snarls facing her. "You will pay for that." He takes another swing at her that she blocks easily. She takes her other knife and stabs him in the heart.

"You should know Cato and I anticipated an attack like this. I hope you are ready to meet your maker," she says, surprised he's still standing yet ready for his next move.

He takes a swipe at her that she blocks easily before swinging her knife at his throat, hitting his jugular, blood spraying. He falls to the ground bleeding heavily. She watches as he slumps to the ground, his life ending. She turns to watch Marvel end the life of his opponent with the ease that she just showed taking down her own, with a spear to the heart.

"Marvel, Katniss would be so proud!" she exclaims.

"I doubt that," he says remorsefully. "She doesn't relish the thought of killing people," he says sadly.

"Well, I think you did well. You might want to have Foxface look at that later," she says pointing to him leg.

"I will," he says limping back to his position. "Cato did well also," he adds pointing towards where Cato and Peeta stood. They watch as Cato takes Peeta's hand and leads him back to the mouth of the cornucopia. Clove could see the love Cato has for Peeta and worries what would happen if something should happen to Bread Boy. She watches as Cato pulls him into his arms and hugs him.

They all turn to the voice that calls to Cato. "Ah, Cato. See you found a new boy toy. Replaced me so soon?"

"Cato?" Peeta is looking at Cato, the question in his eyes but spoken as well, "Who is that?"

"Leonitus Dante. We dated once. We haven't spoken in over a year." Cato tells Peeta. He could see the hurt in Peeta's eyes. "No, it was nothing like that. I swear. We went out on a couple dates that's all. Please believe me." Cato pleads.

Peeta looks deeply into Cato's eyes and sees the truth in them. "I believe you." Peeta says sincerely. "Go kick his ass." He adds before giving him a lingering kiss.

"Aww, how sweet giving Cato his goodbye kiss." Leonitus says. "Hope you enjoyed it 12. It will be your last."

Leonitus readies his bow, aims at Cato, and fires. Cato effectively blocks the incoming arrow and gets ready to attack when from behind him, an arrow is fired. It hits Leonitus in his right shoulder. "We are not finished Cato. I will see you again," he promises before running away.

Gale comes to stand next to Cato, "Sorry about that. I just wanted to get in on the action."

Cato looks at Peeta, "It's okay Gale." He can see that Peeta is hurting. He hangs his head and quietly says, "When we get back to camp, I will answer all your questions. Please just hear me out." He turns and walks into the cornucopia to check on Glimmer.

Gale looks at Peeta, "You okay? What was that all about?"

Peeta's eyes never leave Cato's form, "I'm fine. Just someone trying to cause Cato and I problems. Nothing to be concerned about right now." He looks at Gale, "Go check on Clove." He sees the surprise on Gale's face. "It's pretty obvious to me that you two like each other. Go, I'll be fine."

Gale nods and walks over to Clove who looks happy. Whether it's because of her kill or Gale, Peeta isn't sure. All he knows is that he wishes that Cato hadn't walked away as he watches him and Glimmer talking. Peeta turns around and looks around the side of the cornucopia. What he sees is a female from District 4, a male from District 5, and a female from District 10 working their way towards the cornucopia. He debates letting the others know. He looks at those with him, Cato and Glimmer are going through boxes and Marvel is talking with Gale and Clove. He chooses not to say anything and waits for the three tributes to get closer before he attacks.

The female from 4 attacks Peeta first, jabbing her trident at him. He spins and slashes the Katana hitting her in the stomach. She falls and the female from 10 runs at him, her scimitar clashing with his Katana. The sound of metal on metal causes the others to stop what they're doing and investigate. Luckily for Peeta that they do. While he is going toe-to-toe with the district 10 female, the district 5 male tries to sneak up and attack Peeta from behind with a Taser, hoping to paralyze Peeta long enough for the girl to kill him. Clove was the first to see the danger Peeta was in and goes after the male from 5, her knife slashing his throat from ear to ear. At the same time, Peeta thrusts his Katana into the chest of the female from 10, covering him in blood when he removes the blade, blood spraying.

"Peeta!" Cato calls running around the cornucopia and seeing him covered in blood. He reaches Peeta and begins searching Peeta for injuries. Finding none, he pulls a very tired Peeta to him. "You're okay. You're okay." Cato repeats, holding Peeta close. Peeta wraps his arms around Cato and relaxes in his embrace, wishing that they'd never left camp.

"I think that we've overstayed our welcome," Marvel says, surveying the scene. "Let's get whatever was found and get the fuck out of here." His stomach grumbles. "Besides, I'm hungry."

"I filled two backpacks. One with food, water, and medical supplies. The other has water bottles, some filled others empty." Glimmer says proud of what she did while the others fought. "I also found a box filled with clothes. I put the sheath for Peeta's sword inside that box. I say we take the whole box and let everyone get their own sizes."

Clove, Gale, and Marvel agree. Cato and Peeta never respond because they're too busy looking into each other's eyes. Marvel and Gale decide they'll carry the box while Clove breaks apart the two 'love birds'. Cato and Clove take the backpacks. Peeta and Glimmer bring up the rear, empty handed. As they cross the bridge, the ground begins to shake.

"The cornucopia is going to sink again, RUN!" Clove screams.

Glimmer turns around to grab Peeta's hand. But instead she trips him and pushes him down. Before she can get to her bow, she takes a trident to the chest. Clove throws her knife. It hits the district 4 girl right between the eyes just as an arrow hits the girl in the chest.

"What is with the guys of our group?" Clove demands. "I am very capable to take out tributes on my own!" Both Marvel and Gale look down at their feet, knowing that they were the ones she was talking about.

Peeta drops down next to Glimmer. She raises her hand to Peeta's cheek, "Take out that son of a bitch for me." Tears begin to flow down Peeta's cheek as he nods in agreement. He knows she talking about Snow. "Take care of Marvel. He is good at what he does but tends to get cocky." She adds quietly. The bridge begins to shake roughly.

Peeta feels someone lift him; "Put me down! I need to get Glimmer! I need to get her to shore! Let me go!" he screams, fighting whomever has him. He sees Gale run past him. Gale takes out the trident and lifts up Glimmer. The group barely makes it to shore before the bridge sinks into the water. Gale gently lays Glimmer on the sand as Cato lets Peeta go. Peeta scrambles over to Glimmers body dropping his sword and bow. "I'm so sorry. I failed. I failed the group," he cries as he lays his head on her chest, sobbing. Gale and Clove sit on the box that they got. He reaches for her hand and she cries softly on his shoulder. Marvel kneels down next to Glimmer's body, holds her hand, and quietly says his own goodbye. Cato stands behind Peeta, watching him cry, feeling helpless.

They hear noises coming from the jungle.

_Back in camp_

Katniss watches the group leave. She silently hopes that they'll be alright, especially Marvel. The note last night had told them to stay put. She sits under the tree Rue climbed up.

Rue watches the group from her place in a tree. She will be the eyes for the rest of the group, letting them know what's going on. She lets her group know that they made it to the cornucopia.

Delly and Madge arm themselves with their bows while Rie grabs his knives and Thresh grabs his sword. Foxface goes to sit with the pile of bags, making sure she can get to the medical supplies if they're needed. No one talks, ears straining for any noise.

They all jump at the sound of Rue's voice, "They're being attacked!" They can hear the sounds of fighting, wanting to go help yet knowing they should stay. Rue keeps them informed of the battle.

"They have weapons!"

"Peeta just cut off a girl's head."

"Clove killed a boy."

"Marvel is injured." This one causes Katniss to pale. "He killed the guy."

"Cato and Peeta are fine. Cato killed another girl."

"There's another tribute! Wait, he's running away!"

"I can't see Peeta anymore. He's gone around the cornucopia!"

As the group listens to Rue, they don't hear the two tributes that are headed for them until it's almost too late. A flying knife cuts Rie on his thigh deeply. Katniss jumps up, an arrow at the ready. She scans the area before spotting a boy from one and a girl from four.

"Over there," she points. "There are just two of them, I think."

Thresh and Rie go for the boy from 1 as Katniss, Delly, and Madge all take a shot at the female from 2 before the girl could throw another knife. Two of the three arrows hit, killing the girl. The girls turn to watch the battle of the boys, prepared to help if needed.

The male tribute from one thrusts his spear at the injured Rie, who just barely manages to avoid getting nicked again. While the District 1 male's attention is on Rie, Thresh attacks. He slices the boy across the arm. The tribute turns his attention to Thresh, swinging the spear. It barely misses contacting Thresh. Rie takes advantage of the distraction and thrusts a knife into the back of the tribute. The boy falls to the ground, bleeding heavily but not yet dead. Thresh slices the throat of the fallen boy.

Rie limps his way over to Foxface to get his thigh fixed, the pain finally hitting him. Rue has climbed out of the tree and joins the others as they make their way to where Foxface is taking care of Rie.

"Rie, this is pretty deep. I may have to put in stitches." Foxface tells him.

"Can we just wrap it for now? I hate needles." Rie tells her, shivering at the thought.

"Fine. But if you bleed through the bandage, I am stitching you up," she tells him firmly.

"Has anyone noticed that no cannons have gone off yet?" Delly questions.

The ground rumbles as it did earlier. They look towards the cornucopia.

"I'm going to go to the beach," Katniss says suddenly.

"We should stay together." Thresh says logically. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes, I need to see the others," Katniss says frantic with worry. "They could be hurt."

Foxface stands, grabbing the bag with all the medical supplies before helping Rie to his feet.

"Rue, why don't you climb back up in your tree? Keep an eye on us as well as the camp," Madge suggests. Rue agrees and once she's settled, the other run towards the beach. The sight before them is heartbreaking. They run towards the other group. Except for Rie, who hobbles.

Marvel turns to see who was running towards them, as do Clove and Gale. Cato watched them coming from the corner of his eye, more concerned about Peeta than the other group. Marvel stands up before Katniss reaches him, opening his arms to hold her. She throws herself into them, crying.

"Shh, I'm fine. But we lost Glimmer." He whispers into her hair.

She looks down at Glimmers body before responding, "Rue said you were hurt. I was scared." She looks up into his tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry about Glimmer."

"Thank you. She was my partner for a long time." He says pulling her close. "Peeta's taking it pretty hard. She saved his life," he whispers in her ear. "She pushed him down and took a trident in the chest."

Katniss looks at Peeta who was still crying on Glimmer's chest, his sobs quieting.

"Who's hurt?" asks Foxface. "I can fix you up now."

Katniss looks at Marvel, "Go get that taken care of. I'll help with Peeta." She looks over to Rie and signals him to help with Cato.

Rie walks up to Cato, placing his hand on Cato's arm, "Cato, let's get the box back to camp. Katniss will bring Peeta soon. Besides, we left Rue alone in a tree to watch the camp. She'll be happy to see you." Cato nods, grabs the Katana and bow that Peeta dropped, and follows the other boy to the box.

Gale notices Rie's injury and takes his place carrying the box. Clove takes the weapons from Cato and they all leave. As soon as Foxface is finished wrapping Marvel's leg, they too head back to camp leaving Peeta and Katniss on the beach with Glimmer's body.

The cannons begin to go off causing Peeta to flinch with each of the 15 booms. Katniss kneels down next to him, and quietly observes him.

"Why did she do it?" he suddenly asks her.

"Why did she do what Peeta?" Katniss asks in return, a little confused.

Peeta is looking at Glimmer, brushing her hair from her cheek. "She was running in front of me. She turned towards me and the next thing I knew I was laying on the ground. I look up and she was lying next to me with a trident sticking out of her chest," He looks over at Katniss, eyes bloodshot from crying. "Why did she do it? Why did she take that trident for me? Why me?"

"I don't know Peeta," Katniss tells him. "Maybe she did it because we need you. Maybe she did it for you and Cato, to give you more time together." She looks down at Glimmer's body, "We'll never know why Peeta. I'm sorry she's gone but I'm also really grateful to her for saving you." Peeta doesn't say anything.

Katniss and Peeta stand up a few minutes later. Peeta turns to Katniss, "Go be with Marvel. I'll be there soon."

"I don't think – " Katniss begins.

"I just need a few more minutes and I'd like to be alone. I will be there soon, I promise," Peeta interrupts. Katniss nods reluctantly. She turns and heads into the jungle. Peeta runs down the beach a little way before turning into the jungle and climbing a tree.

Cato is the first to notice Katniss returning alone. "Where's Peeta?" he asks anxiously looking behind her. The others turn to see her walking into the camp alone.

"He needed a few minutes to collect himself, Cato." Katniss says putting a hand on his arm. "He doesn't understand why Glimmer gave her life for his. He'll be here soon."

"But he doesn't have a weapon Katniss," Clove informs her. "We brought them here, to have Cato clean the sword for him."

"He'll be fine." Gale says confidently. The five members from 12 begin to go through the box of clothes while the rest of the group worry for Peeta's safety. They don't think Peeta should have left weaponless.

Peeta had been sitting in the tree thinking about Glimmer, trying to understand why she helped him. They hadn't spent a lot of time together, especially in the arena. He's pulled from his thoughts when a parachute lands in his lap. He opens the container and is stunned by what's inside:

_Her family wants you to have this. They say thank you._

_~ C & G_

And a second note:

_You did everything you could. Keep fighting in her memory._

_Fight for your family, fight for Cato._

_~ H & E_

Under the notes was Glimmer's token, a silver chain with a locket engraved with a G. Peeta opened the locket and saw a picture of Glimmer's family. Her parents on one side Glimmer and her siblings on the other. Peeta studies the photos before he closes the locket and put the chain around his neck. The other item in the container was a picture of his own family, minus his mother. It was from when he was younger. While studying the photo, he hears what sounds like a scream coming from deeper in the jungle. He puts the picture and notes back into the container, wraps the package on his wrist, and climbs out of the tree. He hears the scream again, this time closer. It sounds like Vick! He chases after the sound.

Back in camp, the clothes have been sorted for each person. All they were doing now was waiting for Peeta to come back. They had received a parachute that had told them of a place where they could clean up back in the pine forest. Gale was the first to hear the faint scream. He turns towards the sound. The second time he hears the scream, not only does he recognize it, but so do Rie and the three girls from district 12.

"Vick," Delly says. As the five from 12 get ready to look for Vick, Marvel grabs Katniss. "What's going on? Who is Vick?" Katniss turns to Marvel. "Vick is Gale's youngest brother," she tells him hysterically. "We have to find him."

"I'm coming," Marvel tells her.

"Me too." Cato adds. He turns to the others. "Stay here. Watch the stuff." Cato grabs his sword as well as Peeta's katana just in case.

Just then a new voice screams. "That's Wheet!" Rie yells. He takes off running, the others quickly chase after him. Soon a chorus of new screams are going – Posy, Rory, and Prim are added.

Peeta had found where Vicks were coming from. It was a bird up in the tree. It stopped when Peeta knocked it out the tree with a rock. Then Wheet started screaming from another direction. Peeta could hear Rie calling for Wheet and ran faster to find him. The two brothers ran into one another, falling to the ground.

"I can't find Wheet Peeta!" Rie says standing up. "Listen to him, he's in pain!"

Peeta grabs Rie's wrist, "Stop! It's not Wheet, look." Peeta points up into the tree. "It's just a bird! It's just a Jabber jay!"

Rie can see the bird. He watches as Peeta throws a rock at it but it flies out of the way. Suddenly more bird land in the tree. The screams of Posy, Rory, and Prim are added to Vick and Wheet's. "Let's get out of here!" Rie yells to Peeta. They take off in the direction that Rie had come from. Other voices that they know begin to scream; Mrs. Everdeen, Hazel, their dad, Haymitch, Effie, and even Glimmer. They can see their friends up ahead but don't understand why they're just standing there. Until they hit an invisible wall that separates the two boys from the others. To make matters worse, the birds followed the two boys and were in a tree behind them.

Peeta and Rie began throwing rocks at the birds, occasionally hitting one only to have it replaced by two more. They threw rocks until their arms were too tired. By that time, it seemed like everyone they knew from District 12 had a voice in those damn birds. Tired, they sat facing their friends on the other side of the barrier separating them. Peeta could see Cato swinging his sword at the barrier until Gale made him stop. Katniss was crying in Marvels arms. Delly and Madge just looked at the two boys sadly.

From where he was standing after Gale made him stop, Cato could see the anguish in both brothers' eyes. He, nor those with him, could hear the screams anymore. Cato kneeled on his side trying to keep Peeta's eyes focused on him. It didn't last long. He watched as Peeta closed his eyes tightly, hands covering his ears trying to block out the screams only he and Rie could hear. He looked over and saw Rie in the same position. He could tell both boys were rocking themselves.

No one was sure how long they sat there watching Rie and Peeta suffering. It was Delly who noticed that the birds began to fly away though. No one moved until they heard the whimpers coming from Peeta and Rie. Cato jumped up and picked up Peeta while Gale and Marvel grabbed Rie. Madge grabbed the swords that Cato had dropped as Delly grabbed the spear Marvel dropped.

"Katniss, it wasn't Prim. You saw the birds. Let's go." Delly said gently as she grabbed Katniss' hand and pulled her back to camp when she noticed the other girl staring into the jungle. "Come on. Marvel will be waiting for you." At the sound of his name, Katniss let Delly pull her back to camp.

When they reached the camp, Cato sat down on the log, holding a shaking Peeta in his lap. Marvel and Gale set Rie down near the log. Before Gale could walk away, Rie grabbed his hand. "I heard them." He said looking up at Gale with wide eyes.

"Who'd you hear?" Gale asks gently as he sat next to Rie.

"Your family. Even little Posy. They were in such pain Gale. All of them." Rie said, tears streaming down his face. "And not just your family but mine and Katniss's too."

Everyone jumped when they heard Peeta's quiet voice. "Glimmer, Haymitch, and Effie too." Cato hugged Peeta closer to him, rocking gently shushing him.

"I'm a little confused. What happened out there?" Thresh asks. Clove, Foxface, and Rue all admit their confusion as well.

Delly leads Katniss over to Marvel before sitting on the other side of Rie. Gale stood up and Madge took his place next to Rie. Each girl grabbed a hand as Gale explained to the others what happened.

"It wasn't Vick, Prim, Rory, or Wheet that we heard. It was jabber jays." He looks down at the two brothers, "They got caught behind a force field and heard the screams of our families."

"Not just the families, Gale. Everyone in 12." Rie says quietly. "They weren't just screams. They were in pain."

Foxface looks at the brothers, "If what Gale is saying is true, about the jabber jays I mean, then no one was in pain. It was just made to sound like they were in pain." She walks up to Cato and Peeta, "Peeta, you said you heard Glimmer right?" Peeta looks at her and nods. "Oh honey, it couldn't have been Glimmer. She died earlier today. Remember?" Peeta just looked at her, his face and eyes void of any emotion.

Cato gently takes Peeta's chin and forces Peeta to look at him when Peeta doesn't answer. What he sees scares him. It's almost like he wasn't there. "Peeta, honey, listen to her. She knows what she's saying." Cato watches Peeta's face for several moments. Peeta finally blinks. "Glimmer couldn't have been in pain because she died in front of me." Peeta says voice cracking.

"Peeta, it was just a game maker trick." Foxface tries again. Peeta looks at her and nods. He lays his head on Cato's shoulder and closes his eyes. Cato holds Peeta close, feeling his body shake with sobs. He listens to the sound of Peeta's breath hitching. He looks at the boy in his arms, looking for what he wasn't sure. It was then he noticed the parachute hanging from Peeta's wrist. "Peeta, did you get a gift?" Cato whispers.

Peeta sits up a little before showing Cato the necklace around his neck he'd gotten in the tree.

This catches the attention of the others who were quietly giving the two brother's time to get over their experience. Marvel and Katniss were standing, arms wrapped around each other. He catches sight of the necklace, "That was Glimmer's. She never took it off. How'd you get it?" Marvel asks enquiringly.

Peeta turns his head, "I was sitting in a tree, trying to work through what Glimmer did. I got a parachute." He lifts the arm with the package on it. "Her family wanted me to have it." He drops his arm back into his lap. He looks up at Cato, "I'm tired."

Cato looks down at Peeta, "Then go to sleep. I don't mind." He kisses Peeta's forehead and watches as Peeta's eyes close. He mindlessly rubs Peeta's arm gently as he listens to Peeta's breathing slow, indicating he fell asleep. Clove walks over and squats in front of Cato. She gently takes Peeta's arm and removes the parachute, setting it on the ground next to Cato's feet. She looks up at Cato, "Do you want me to get the bed out?" she asks quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping boy.

Cato looks at his best friend shaking his head, "No. I just want to hold him for now."

Clove nods in understanding, "If it gets to be too much, let me know."

Cato smiles and thanks her for her offer before looking back down at the boy in his arms. He brushes Peeta's hair back from his face and watches him sleep. It's hard for Cato to imagine everything Peeta has been through. And he was there for most of it.

Rue, who'd been quiet the entire time since they came back with Peeta and Rie, gets up and grabs some food and water to take to Rie. He looks up at her and takes the items she offered him. Delly gets up to put the weapons away and Rue takes her spot. "Did you really hear your families?"

Rie looks at her, contemplating her question. "When it happened, it seemed like it was real. But now, being here and hearing Foxface, it doesn't seem as real." He puts his arm around the young girl, "It was something that I never want to go through again." He looks at his brother sleeping in Cato's arms, "I hope you never have to go through it yourself Rue." Rie eats the food and drinks the water Rue gave him.

"I say a couple of us take that map we got and find that swimming hole. We should have plenty of time before it gets dark." Clove says looking down at her clothes. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't relish staying in these clothes."

It's decided that Clove, Gale, Thresh, Delly, and Foxface will look for the pool. Clove looks at Cato, "Are you sure you don't want me to get that bed out Muscles?"

"I'm good Clove," he replies. "Go find that pool. Oh, and take the empty water bottles. It couldn't hurt."

"See, that's why we keep you around big guy, you _are_ more than just brute strength." teases Gale as he starts to gather the empty bottles. "You have brains to match."

"If I wasn't taking care of Peeta right now, I would so kick your scrawny ass Gale," retorts Cato.

"Really Muscles? Going to hide behind your boyfriend?" Clove goads.

"At least I have one," Cato mutters under his breath, not really wanting to fight with Clove.

Clove didn't hear what he said but she knew him well enough to know that it probably would have hurt her feelings or caused a big scene. Plus, she knew Peeta needed to rest for now. After fighting, meeting that creep Leonitus, losing Glimmer, then those damn birds he needed a break from reality. She grabbed a backpack filled with bottles and followed the group further into the jungle.

Cato watched them go. A part of him really wanted to go with them. But he needed to be here when Peeta woke up. He looked down at the boy in his arms again. Peeta looked peaceful, relaxed. Despite the blood that covered him.

It took almost two hours to find the pool of water, but it was worth it. The water was clear, deep, and blue. Across the way was a beautiful, small waterfall. The five tributes desperately wanted to jump in but collectively decided that they would wait for the others to be with them. They did take the time to wash off their arms and faces though. They filled all the bottles and treated the water just to be safe. It would be ready by the time they returned. With all the water bottles they had collected, at least the others would be able to wash their faces as well.

Clove used her knives to mark trees on the way back so they'd be able to find the pool faster tomorrow. The group realized that the walk was going faster back to camp than it was going to the pool. This worked in their favor as it was beginning to get dark. It wasn't until they got back to the jungle that they realized the water was up on a hill. Gale and Clove pulled out the flashlights they'd taken, but didn't turn them on as it was still light enough to see where they were going. Arriving back at camp, the group was greeted warmly and with questions. Katniss and Marvel gave the group some food as they regaled the tale of the crystal clear blue watered pool.

Peeta woke up an hour after the group left and began to freak out over the others having left. Cato managed to calm him down but he needed Katniss and Rie's help. Peeta was tense until he saw the others return. No one had ever seen Peeta like this before. It raised concern amongst his district mates. Gale thinks the birds affected Peeta more than they had imagined. He and Cato stuck pretty close to him the rest of the night. When he heard about the waterfall, he knew how to let the rest of them know that they needed to go to the ruined city for their rescue.

Rie's wound managed to seep through the bandage so Foxface stitched him up the best she could. Marvel and Thresh held his arms and legs while Rue verbally distracted him by telling the story about the time she got stuck in a tree at home and Thresh had to rescue her before the peacekeepers found them. He didn't flinch once during her story.

Madge and Delly sat at the backpacks and began sorting through them, removing any rotten, spoiled food. They were doing it by the fire, as the temperature had begun to drop. After emptying all the backpacks, each member of the group grabbed an empty bag and repacked it. The fresh clothes were put in last as the plan was to get clean in the morning.

Marvel and Katniss, who had taken a nap while Gale's group went to the pool, volunteered for first watch. Foxface and Thresh decided on the second watch, while Delly and Madge decided to take the third. A parachute landed in the camp, this time with 48 rolls from district 4, medicine for Marvel and Rie's legs, and a new sling shot and a bag of pebbles for Rue. There was no note.

As everyone got their bedding setup for the night, Foxface applied the medicine and rewrapped the boys' legs. Cato then helped Rie to the airbed. Rue declined to sleep on it. The anthem played and the deaths of the day shown:

District 1 male – Rie / Thresh - knife/sword

District 1 female (Glimmer) – District 4 girl / trident

District 2 male – Clove - knife

District 2 female – Katniss / Delly - bows

District 3 female – dehydration / desert

District 4 male – Marvel / spear

District 4 female – Cato / sword

District 4 female – Peeta/Clove – Katana/knife

District 5 male – Clove / knife

District 5 female – District 1 female / spear

District 6 male – freezing to death / winter tundra

District 6 female – mauled by lions / African savannah

District 7 male - freezing to death / winter tundra

District 7 female – District 1 female / spear

District 8 female – mauled by lions / African savannah

District 9 male – District 10 male / knife

District 9 female – District 2 male / sword (the cannon that interrupted Cato & Peeta the night before)

District 10 female – Peeta / Katana

District 10 female - freezing to death / winter tundra

District 11 male – mauled by lions / African savannah

District 11 female – Peeta / Katana

As the anthem played again, Peeta and Cato snuggled together under their blanket. Peeta laid his head on Cato chest and let the older boy's heartbeat lull him to sleep. Cato waited until he knew Peeta was asleep before he closed his own eyes. His last thought was that there were 11 other tributes left besides their group of 12.

_The Mentor Room_

As the kids were sleeping, the mentors prepared for their own escape. Lyme had managed to secure some guns and hid them in the tunnel below. Johanna, Finnick, and Cashmere managed to pack some food and water into some backpacks that were also hidden in the tunnels. Brutus, Enobaria, Haymitch, and Effie secured some Capitol peacekeeper uniforms. Now it became the waiting game.

_The Gamemakers Room_

Seneca Crane was pleased with himself. He had hoped raising the cornucopia would shrink the large group of tributes and he did get to see the death of one. The jabber jays he had sent in to mess with the 'boy on fire' worked as well, just not as completely as he hoped. He wanted to see that boy become a sniveling mass of goo that couldn't function. He hopes his plans for tomorrow would tear apart the group once and for all.

**I would've had this up sooner, but I had to triple check my tributes and death counts. I have tables and graphs that I've been keeping track on. It's a very complicated business, lol. For those that care – 20 deaths the first day, 8 deaths the second day, and 21 deaths in this chapter = 49 deaths so far. 23 tributes left in the arena. Who will make it out? Can't say… yet ;) **


	12. Chapter 12 The Rescue

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello everyone. Sorry about the delay. To be perfectly honest, I was waiting for my dear lincolnlog89 to post her next chapter of her story **_**When Your Heart Rebels **_**and review my story**_**. **_**She follows my story and I respect the fact that she is busy and couldn't review my story earlier.**

_**MangoMagic:**_** After the last chapter, I can only hope that this one will meet with your approval. That was totally meant as a compliment by the way. Seneca is a little evil in my opinion. Anyone who can create arenas where children fight to the death has to be evil, lol. The sexual tension will only last another chapter or two before our two love birds will get their chance to be together – maybe ;) **

_**Rolyn:**_** This chapter will show exactly what Seneca has planned lol. And you're right, Glimmer is sadly NOT the last tribute to die. As for calling shurikens ninja stars – it was honestly just to keep things as simple as possible. I hope that makes sense to you. And I find it awesome that you watch anime. I could never get into it myself.**

_**Mhardman**_**: I'm happy that you liked the last chapter. I hope you find this one as good. **

_**lincolnlog89**_**: Yes, my Cato is a dream guy! Peeta is a kick ass guy as well lol. I was hoping that Glimmer's death would be well received. I actually liked her in my story. She was a good friend to Peeta which you'll see more of later. As for Seneca, we'll find out why he was gunning for Peeta. I'm just not sure how soon lol.**

Chapter 12 Arena Day 4, the Rescue

The day began like any other in the arena except for the silence. It's a little unnerving. The birds in this part of the jungle are being unusually quiet. In fact, it was like they were gone, flew the coop so to speak. It alarms Peeta, who snuggles closer to Cato. He hopes that by being closer to the older boy it will dispel the uneasy feeling in his gut.

Cato feels Peeta snuggle closer to him and smiles. He doesn't know or care why Peeta did it, but Cato tightens his hold on the younger boy. He was beginning to really enjoy the feeling of waking up to Peeta in his arms. Just being like this was the best feeling in the world, like his life is complete. He's startled out of his thoughts by the sound of Peeta's voice.

"Did I wake you?" he asks.

Cato tilts his head down to look at Peeta, "No, I was just lying here, enjoying the quiet," he responds voice quiet so as not to disturb the others still sleeping. "And having you in my arms. I could spend the rest of my life happy if I could wake up every morning with you in my arms," he admits truthfully.

Peeta blushes. "Aww, I didn't know you were such a romantic sap," he whispers teasingly.

"When this is all over, I will show you exactly how romantic I can be," Cato whispers back seriously.

"Ugh, you two are far too mushy this morning," Rie complains from his side of the bed. "Can't you two just wish each other a good morning like a normal couple?"

Cato leans up on his elbow to look at Rie on the other side of Peeta, "Sure, we could be boring like that. But we're not quite a normal couple are we." He winks at Rie who just shakes his head smiling.

Peeta rolls on his back to look at his brother muttering, "We're in an arena, fighting for our lives. Nothing about this situation is normal." Peeta turns his head to look up at Cato, "If Cato wants to sweet talk me, who am I to deny him that?"

"How's your leg, Rie?" asks Cato a little embarrassed and trying to change the subject. Peeta snickers as he turns back to Rie, curious as well.

Rie sits up and throws the blanket back to look at his leg, "It feels fine. I think I'll just wait for Foxface to check it when she gets up."

Peeta and Cato both sit up and look over to a sleeping Foxface. "I'm glad she's with us," Cato says sincerely. "I think our losses would've been greater without her."

"I'm glad too," Rie says. "Without her I'd have probably bled to death." Immediately Cato and Rie look at Peeta when they realize what they had just said. Peeta's reaction to Glimmer's death still fresh in their minds.

Peeta can feel both pair of eyes on him. "I'm fine guys. I know I lost it yesterday. But I am doing much better today, I promise." He gestures to Foxface, "She definitely has been an asset to the group. I could have lost both of you." He says laying his head on Cato's shoulder. He changes the subject from such morbid thoughts, "have you noticed how quiet it is today? I can hear Clove's snoring from here." Rie and Cato snicker at that.

"It is pretty quiet. No singing birds," Rie says.

"Maybe Clove's snoring chased them off," Cato adds. The three of them laugh loudly before covering their mouths. "We better stop. We don't want to wake her." Peeta and Rie nod in agreement.

"So, we're going to be able to get clean today?" Peeta asks.

Cato looks down at Peeta, kissing his nose, "Yes. The plan is to head up as soon as everyone is up and ready. You up for a swim?"

"More than you'll ever know. I just want to be able to put on clean clothes," Peeta says gesturing to his dirty clothes. "Even living in 12 with all that coal dust in the air I never felt this gross," he admits with a touch of sadness lacing his voice.

"You miss home too?" Rie asks sadness evident in his voice as well. "I really miss the smell of fresh baked bread."

"I miss Mrs. Everdeen's dandelion salad," Peeta admits shyly. "Mama Hazel's rabbit stew and Greasy Sae's mystery meat soup."

"Who are Mama Hazel and Greasy Sae?" Cato asks interestedly.

Peeta looks up at Cato, "Greasy Sae is a local cook and Mama Hazel is Gale's mother. She's the one who took me in and treated me like one of her own. She's the woman I call mom, my family." He looks over to Rie, "Not that it makes Rie any less of a family member to me."

Rie smiles at Peeta, "You've always been my baby brother and you always will be. No matter what that _witch_ says." Both brothers are surprised when Cato doesn't react to the mention of the woman that gave them birth. Not even a twitch. Peeta leans up and kisses Cato's jaw whispering, "Just because."

The three boys notice that the others are beginning to wake up. They decide now would be a good time to get out of bed. Cato jumps up and rushes over to help Rie stand shocking both brothers yet again. They both stare at him, mouths agape.

"What?! My mother taught me manners," Cato says noticing their matching expressions. He smirks when Peeta sticks his tongue out at him. Cato goes to help Peeta off the bed once Rie is steady on his own two feet. He helps Peeta to stand. He then leans to whispers seductively in Peeta's ear, "Stick that tongue out again and I'll give you something to lick." Peeta blushes a bright red, thankful that no one else heard what Cato said.

Cato and Peeta clean up the bed as Rie gingerly walks over to the log to sit with Delly and Madge. Once everything is packed, the couple turns to look at their friends. Rie is talking with Delly and waiting for Foxface to wake up. Clove is sleeping next to Gale, using his arm as a pillow.

"Those two just need to admit that they're a couple," Cato whispers to Peeta nodding towards them.

Katniss is sleeping with her head on Marvel's chest, their legs tangled together and in their blanket.

"I never thought Katniss would ever find someone to care about after her father died. She had once told Gale and I that she never wanted to fall in love," Peeta whispers to Cato gesturing to the other sleeping couple. "I'm happy that she met Marvel. Maybe he can change her mind."

The final three sleeping figures are together as well. Rue slept in between Thresh and Foxface, her little face barely visible.

"Do you think anything is going on between Thresh and Foxface?" asks Cato still whispering.

"No, I think that they're just friends," Peeta answers. "But then again, I never paid that much attention to who Thresh has been spending all his time with."

Over the next 30 minutes the sleeping tributes of the large group begin to wake. They all sit in a circle and eat the bread from the parachute from the night before. When they were all done, the backpacks were double checked for supplies. Foxface remembered the soap she had seen in a bag they were going to leave behind and grabs it. They load up and head out for the pool.

The trek didn't take as long as it had the day before thanks to Clove's marking the way. Upon arrival, they all took a moment to enjoy the beauty of what lies before them. The small lake is surrounded by large pine trees, the clear water reflecting the image. Peeta is entranced by the scene and desperately wants to draw what he sees. Unfortunately, getting clean holds a higher priority. He can't help but wonder how Cato can stand being so close to him. It was then that the waterfall caught his eye, giving him the brilliant idea of how to let the others know the rescue plan for that day. "I say we go over to the waterfall," he suggests hoping the others will agree. They do and all head around.

When they reach a nice beach next to the waterfall, the guys quickly throw their packs on the ground. Before the girls could comment on their slothfulness, the boys had all stripped out of their clothes and ran to the water diving in. "At least they left their underwear on as there is a young girl here," Madge comments. But hearing the guys moan at how good the warm water felt causes the girls to quickly strip down themselves. Foxface remembers to grab the soap before the girls take their turn diving into the water. The twelve tributes take turns using the soap to wash their hair and bodies.

Cato can't help but notice Peeta's body. He remembers the last time he saw so much skin, back in the training center. It seems to have been a lifetime ago when in truth it has been a little over a week. As Cato watches Peeta scrubbing his hair, he notes that Peeta's muscles are, in a word, magnificent! No, they're more than that, just no words that come to his mind right now. He turns away before his thoughts take him somewhere that none of the others want to see.

Peeta wasn't as oblivious to Cato's perusal of his body as Cato had thought. In fact, he made sure to move in such a way that Cato would be affected. It wasn't that he wanted to tease him, more like showing him what he would soon be able to touch soon. But the downside was that Cato was affecting him as well. The water dripping down those perfectly sculpted pecs and abs makes Peeta want to run his hands over them, moving lower and lower. He forces himself to dunk under the water and rinse his hair when his thoughts become too much.

Once everyone had a chance to wash, they played around for a while splashing and dunking each other. It was a chance to just relax and have fun. A chance to forget the horror of yesterday, of losing Glimmer. Eventually though, they remembered where they were. Peeta made them follow him to the backside of the waterfall before they got out. It was the only chance to explain the escape plan.

When they were all gathered Clove asks, "What's up Bread Boy?"

"It's the clues we received," he states simply. He knew that Rue understood but the others hadn't said they had yet. "Other than Rue, have any of you figured them out?" he asks. When they all shake their heads he continues, "I know where and when it'll take place." Before the others can interrupt, he holds up a finger and continues, "We need to go back to the city ruins where Rie found Rue. We're to be rescued today, at 4 pm to be exact. Near a bus."

"I was on an overturned bus when Rie found me. I'm pretty sure that's where we need to be," Rue adds.

"That's great guys, but we don't know where that is," Delly points out.

"Yeah little brother, I don't remember where Rue and I came out," Rie says. "How do we find it?"

Peeta smiles widely, "The other day when we all split up to explore, we told you where we went. We found it, remember? On the way back to camp, as we were leaving the jungle I had Clove mark a tree." Clove's eyes light up when she remembers marking the tree. Peeta notices and continues, "Now, hopefully the game makers haven't messed around with it and we'll know exactly where to go to get to the city." Peeta can see the excitement and relief on the faces of his companions. And is that pride on Cato's? "We still need to be on our guard though. As fun as it was here, there are still some tributes out there after our blood, still hunting us." He says thinking of the district 2 boy Leonitus from yesterday. He already failed Glimmer so getting the others rescued safely was now his main priority.

"I say we get out now and get dressed. We can go back to where we first saw the lake, eat and refill our water bottles before we head out," Rue suggests.

They agree and head back to the beach where they left their stuff unguarded. The girls head into the trees to dress while the guys just dress on the beach. Katniss and Clove gather up all the dirty clothes they had come in and packed them into some of the less filled packs. They didn't need them but felt better having them just in case. They walk back to where Rue had suggested and began to eat.

Peeta, not very hungry, pulls his sketch book out and begins to draw while gnawing on a piece of dried meat. Cato quietly sits next to him and watches Peeta. In 30 minutes, Peeta has drawn what he could. All that was left was adding the color and some finer details. Cato is flabbergasted at what he witnessed, "Glimmer was right. You are an amazing artist." Peeta looks over to him smiling, "Thank you."

Thresh and Gale gather all the empty water bottles, refilling them before using the last of the drops to purify them. With a meal eaten, bottles refilled, and bags repacked; Clove and Gale lead the group back to the beach quickly. Peeta smiles as he notices the pair holding hands. He nudges Cato who was walking next to him, and points to them. Cato chuckles quietly at the sight before grabbing Peeta's smaller hand in his own. Everyone has their weapons ready. No one says it aloud, but they're all thankful they're about to be rescued.

Upon reaching the beach, Peeta and Clove team up to lead the group to their destination. Clove is the one to find the tree with the mark she made. They head into the jungle. The normally happy and talkative group was quiet and tense. They haven't seen another tribute since the day before. They also think that the game makers have a plan up their sleeves.

Little did they know how right they were.

_The Game Makers Room_

Seneca Crane was watching the large group of twelve tributes, waiting. He waited to see what their plan was for after the morning in the lake. He made sure the water was warm, hoping that one of them would let it slip what their next step was. He was unaware of the conversation behind the waterfall as he was watching the District 4 female teaming up with District 3 male and the District 8 male. They were digging up the landmines around the tube that the District 11 girl came up. He was curious as to what they were going to do with them.

When he returned his attention back to the large group, they were leaving the lake. He called up the footage from the night before when they sorted out the backpacks. It seemed to him that they were going to move their camp. While the group was moving, he had the 12 zone techs working on special mutts coinciding for each zone environment. His favorite was the Yeti like creature in the mountain zone.

He bides his time, curious to see where the 12 tributes decide to go. He had watched the tape of them repacking their bags the night before, noting that it seemed like they were going to move their camp. His patience pays out. He watches as they enter the jungle near zone 3, the ruined city. He goes over to the young female zone tech saying, "Let's see what you came up with." She taps the screen in front of her and a 3 dimensional creature appears.

"That doesn't look very, how do I put this, scary? Intimidating?" he asks patience waning. "It's just a dog."

"I know sir, just watch," she says before pushing a small red button on the console. The 3D image changes slightly. "I made the mutt to appear to be a harmless golden retriever – at first. It's to reel the tributes in. then when the tribute is close enough, the sharp, talon like claws come out. But the best part is when the dog bites," she closes the image in on the mouth. "Its fangs elongate and the poison is injected into the blood stream. The poison will paralyze all organ functions within minutes." She looks up to Seneca, an evil smile gracing her lips. "There is no antidote for this poison."

Seneca is pleased with this information. No matter how much money the tributes acquired from sponsors, the treatments won't work. "That's wonderful," Seneca says smiling widely. He checks on the progress of the large group. "How many can you have ready in the next 30 minutes?"

"I can have a pack of 6 in 30 minutes, 10 in 45 minutes," she tells him.

"You have 30 minutes, get it done," he says before heading back to his post to oversee the games. He can't wait to see the dogs in action.

_The Mentor Room_

Lyme looks up at the clock, its 2:45 pm. In an hour and 15 minutes the shield will be knocked out and the 12 remaining rebel tributes will be rescued. But in 15 minutes, the rebel mentors need to be getting into the escape tunnel. Earlier that morning, a disruption of the games flashed on just the rebel screens, 3 pm flashed before the games resumed. Lyme looks up at her screen. The tributes were almost to the city. There wasn't anything her or the other mentors could do now. She looks around and can see that many of them were getting antsy, particularly Haymitch and Finnick.

Haymitch felt like he was going to jump out of his skin. He was ready to go but also feeling a little guilty that he was going to be leaving his kids unsupervised for the next hour. Then there was the matter of the secrets he'd been keeping for the last 17 years. How he managed to never tell a soul during his drinking days was remarkable. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when it comes time to drop his little bombshell. There are three families that will be affected. His only hope is that someday all would be forgiven.

Finnick was having second thoughts about leaving with the other mentors. If he goes, he will see Peeta again in a couple of hours. And with his new boyfriend Cato. He wasn't quite ready for that. It nearly killed him to watch them the other night. The kiss was more than he could handle, but watching Cato's hands all over Peeta was worse. The only thing worse than the kissing and touches was the questions Cato was asking about him earlier that day. Oh sure, Cato never said his name specifically but Finnick knew. So did Johanna and Haymitch, if their looks of pity were any indication. Finnick admits to himself that what he did to Peeta was bad, very bad. He never meant to hurt him. Peeta even forgave him, letting them remain good friends. Finnick hoped that if he gave it enough time, they'd eventually get back together again. Now he watches as the one person he ever truly loves falling for someone else. It was a pain he never imagined. Was this how Peeta felt after that night?

It's now 2:59 pm, nearly time to go. There is a loud commotion out in the other room. As the peacekeepers rush out to inspect, Lyme opens the hidden trap door to the tunnel. All of those that are in on the plan are ready to go.

Or are they?

_Back in the Arena_

It's about 3 pm when the group reaches the edge of the city. They have an hour to get to the bus. As Rie and Rue were the only ones that had been inside the city, it is decided that they should lead the group. Gale and Clove were right behind them, ready to back them up.

The group gets about 3 blocks from their destination when Peeta's worst fears begin to come true. Rue has spotted a friendly looking dog ahead of them. She slowly walks up to it before anyone could think to stop her. She's less than a foot away when the seemingly nice dog changes and attacks her with its talon like claws. As she falls to the ground her stomach bleeding, Gale shoots an arrow and hits the mutt between the eyes. Thresh takes off running and scoops Rue up in his arms. As he turns to rejoin the group, a trident flies out of nowhere and hits him in the back. As he slumps to the ground, 3 more dog mutts appear and attack the fallen pair. Rue gets a claw to her neck as Thresh is bitten on his shoulder. Gale, Katniss, Delly and Madge all fire off arrows managing to kill the mutts. The rest of group, keeping an eye out for the tribute that threw the trident, quickly make their way to the injured pair. Foxface works on stopping the bleeding of Rue's neck as the cannon for Thresh goes off.

Fearful of a repeat of yesterday, Cato pulls Peeta into his arms holding him close. "As much as I love being in your arms Cato, now is probably not the time." Peeta says smiling up at him. Cato leans down and gives Peeta a quick kiss before letting him go. A second cannon goes off. Both boys look down at Rue and see that she is still breathing. Cato catches Foxface's eye and she sadly shakes her head. She stands up and walks over to Cato and Peeta.

"She's lost too much blood, there's nothing more I can do," she tells him quietly. "She's going to bleed out. And soon."

Peeta looks from Cato to Foxface to Rue and back to Cato before saying, "We have about 30 minutes to get to our _destination_." He turns to Foxface, "Do you think she could last that long?"

"She might make it, but I'm not a doctor Peeta," Foxface says looking down at Rue. "We can only try."

Cato, understanding what Peeta wants, puts his sword away and goes to pick up Rue. The others gather around him, Rie leading the way with Clove by his side. To Cato's right is Katniss and Delly, to his left was Gale and Madge. Behind Cato is Foxface. Bringing up the rear, behind Foxface, is Marvel and Peeta.

As they near the bus, Clove spots 2 tributes running into a nearby building. Against her better judgment, and before anyone could stop her, she takes off after them. Once she enters the building, there is a loud explosion.

"Clove!" Gale screams before running towards the building. He doesn't notice the 2 dog mutts that are following him, but Katniss does. She fires off 2 arrows, one right after the other. She hits one, killing it instantly. The other arrow went wide, missing its target completely. That mutt swiped its paw at Gale leaving 4 long, bloody gashes in Gale's calf before it turns its attention back to the large group running for the bus.

Gale manages to close the door to the building behind him after getting his leg clawed. He focuses on trying to find Clove, not wanting to lose her now. As his eyes adjust to the dimness inside the building, he can see the rubble from the explosion. He runs to it, hoping that Clove isn't buried in it. As he inspects the damage, he realizes that it was an elevator shaft that had been destroyed. That's when he hears the clash of metal on metal from somewhere above him. He looks around for a way up before spotting a stair case. It doesn't look very safe, but he needs to see if Clove is okay. He carefully makes his way up the stairs, avoiding the obvious weak spots. It's a more difficult climb than he expected due to his injury. He stops just long enough to tie off the wound with his belt before continuing on. As he reaches the top of the stairs, he sees Clove battling with the girl from District 4 and a male from District 8. He loads an arrow and as he takes aim at the boy, he sees Clove throw her knife hitting the boy in his chest. The boy is killed instantly and his cannon goes off. The girl from four, who Gale noticed has a patch over her eye, runs for a door. She ducks in and barely misses getting hit by Gale's arrow. Clove turns to Gale and notices his bloody leg, as he finally gets a good look at her and sees a large gash on the side of her head. Totally forgetting about the District 4 girl, the two come together, holding each other close.

"You scared me half to death Clove," Gale says, his face buried in her hair. "When that explosion went off, all I could think was that I lost you for good."

"I'm so sorry Gale," she says looking up at him, her brown eyes meeting his gray ones. "I was nicked by flying debris but I'm fine. What happened to your leg?"

"One of those damn dog mutts got me," he says pissed that it got him while his attention was elsewhere. "There were two of them and I think that one of the others killed one." He reaches up and brushes a strand of hair from Clove's face. "I was too busy trying to get to you," he whispers before leaning down and kissing her. It was their first kiss, filled with a tenderness Clove never experienced before. Or knew existed. She reluctantly pulls away first. "As much as I enjoyed that, we really should get back to the others," she says with a wink.

Gale nods in agreement. "Before we head out, we should probably wrap that head wound of yours. It's still bleeding." He takes off his backpack and digs out the first aid kit. He grabs some bandages and wraps her head. He repacks the kit, throws his bag over his shoulders, and grabs Clove's hand. They carefully make their way down the stairs and head to the door. As soon as they reached the door, another blast comes from the back of the building.

Meanwhile the group outside was making their way to the bus. They were ignoring the dog mutt for the moment, hoping to get Rue and Foxface safely on the bus first. It wasn't a very good plan as the mutt jumped on Marvel, pinning him down on his stomach, its talon-like claws digging into his shoulders. Peeta, who was still right next to Marvel, reacted immediately and cut the dog's head off before it had a chance to bite. Unfortunately for Peeta, his blade also nicked Marvel's neck drawing blood.

"Oh shit Marv, I'm sorry!" Peeta cries out as he shoves the Mutt off him.

"It's okay buddy," Marvel says standing up. "Compared to my shoulders, it barely hurts.

Peeta looks over at Katniss to see how she was taking all this. She was holding up remarkably well. She gives Peeta a weak smile as she joins the two boys. Foxface walks over as well, getting supplies ready to clean the wounds. Peeta looks over to the rest of the group. They had continued on with the plan to get on the bus, seeing that Marvel was getting taken care of. Peeta watches as Rie climbs on the bus before reaching down to grab Rue from Cato. Once little Rue was on, Cato and Rie work together to get Delly and Madge on the overturned bus. As that was going on, Foxface cleaned and bandaged Marvel's wounds.

"Peeta, can you help us get Marvel up here? Katniss asks bringing Peeta's attention back to where he was.

"What? Oh yeah, sure," he answers as he reaches down to help Marvel stand up. He had knelt down to make it easier on Foxface. As Marvel got to his feet, cannon goes off. All eyes on the ground go to the top of the bus.

"She's fine," Madge calls down. "Her breathing is a little more raspy, pulse is weak, but she's still with us."

Getting Marvel on the bus was a little trickier but they did it. Marvel only screamed like a girl once, which of course Cato has to tease him about. "I didn't know you were such a whiny little girl. Maybe Katniss needs to find herself a real man." That comment got him 2 slaps upside the back of his head, one from Katniss, and the other from Peeta.

"Oww! Sorry Kat, sorry Peet," Cato apologizes before helping Foxface up. She was followed by Katniss. Before Cato has the chance to ask Peeta if he wanted help, 2 things happen. One, the building Clove and Gale disappeared in shook from a second explosion causing the girls to gasp in shock. The second was a voice that calls Cato's name. Peeta and Cato whip around at the same time, blades drawn and ready. Who they see shocks them all.

"Leonitus!" Cato exclaims.

"Long time, no see Cato." Leonitus replies. "Have you missed me since yesterday?" he teases.

"No. I haven't given you a second thought since you ran off," Cato replies.

Leonitus turns his attention to Peeta. "How about you Loverboy? Have you given me another thought since then? Because I've been thinking of you. A lot. You're pretty cute. I bet you're a much better kisser than Cato there." He adds nodding his head in Cato's direction.

Cato's blood begins to boil, "I have never kissed you! What do you really want?" Cato asks barely keeping his temper in check.

"First, I'd like your little watch dogs to put their weapons down. I'm not here to fight, only talk – for now. To that hot, little blonde right there," Leonitus says gesturing to Peeta. "Look, I'm not even armed," he states raising his arms over his head, spinning around to show he wasn't hiding a weapon behind him.

"What if he doesn't want to talk to you?" Cato asks contemptuously.

"Oh, I think _Peeta_ will definitely want to talk to me. I bet you haven't told him about us, have you?" Leonitus asks watching for a reaction from Peeta, who's eyes widen slightly. "Ah, I see you haven't. Oh Cato, this is going to be so much fun." He adds gleefully.

"As nothing ever happened between us, there really isn't much for you to tell," Cato says calmly belittling the anger he was suppressing.

"Oh my dear Cato, how could you forget us so easily? I remember every detail as though it happened yesterday." Leonitus says smiling deviously.

A new voice joins the conversation.

"Oh Leonitus, still trying to make Cato one of your conquests? You struck out after two measly dates. Muscles here has found someone far better than you'll ever be," Clove says walking around him with Gale in tow. "Why don't you run along now? You are most definitely not wanted here."

"Ah little Clover-field, I'm not here for Cato at all, I'm after a much better prize, I want Peeta here," he tells her. "You and I both know that I am a much better man for him."

Clove scoffs, "Better man? Please, don't make me laugh. I know all about you. Who do you think convinced Cato not to date you anymore? You're nothing more than a whore that uses people before destroying them."

"You know nothing about me!" Leonitus screams, losing his temper. "I never used anyone. It's not my fault if so many out there want me. Even sweet little Peeta here wants me." He points to Peeta. "Look at him looking at me. He can see I can offer him way more than Cato ever could!"

"Actually, that's a look of disgust on his face right now," Gale says entering into the conversation. "I'm pretty sure if he was truly interested in the likes of you, he would've said something by now. But I haven't heard him say one word yet," he says before turning to look at Cato. "Have you heard him speak yet Cato?"

"No, he's actually been pretty quiet. I normally can't get him to shut up," Cato plays along looking at Peeta, eyes pleading with him to play along as well.

Peeta looks at Gale and Cato a little confused as to what they were cooking up, but decides to play along and keeps his mouth closed. At least for a little while longer. Besides, he's still trying to decipher what Clove had said. It seemed like she knew a hell of a lot more than she said. He hoped she'd spill it.

And she does.

"I'll kill you myself before I let you anywhere near to Peeta! Do I need to remind you of Gaius? Or the rape charges that you miraculously managed to get dropped because of his death? He killed himself because of you!" Clove spits at Leonitus.

"Gaius was a liar and a fool. And just terrible in the sack," Leonitus dismissively shrugs. "Who really cares what that crybaby did?"

"I care! I care because Gaius was my family. He was my step-brother. After what you did to him, I had to protect Cato! I got him away from you. And I'll sure as hell keep you from getting your nasty hands on Peeta as well," she screams at him.

"Temper, temper little girl," he mocks at Clove before turning his attention back to Peeta. "Peeta honey, everything she just said is a blatant lie to confuse you. To keep you from choosing me over Cato. I'm going to go for now," he says. "But I will definitely be back for you sweet Peeta." He turns and runs off before anyone could respond.

Cato looks over at Peeta, worry in his eyes. Worry for Peeta believing Leonitus and worry that he might lose him. "Peeta?" he asks nervously.

Peeta looks at Cato, sees the worry, misreading it, "I'm fine. Just a lot to process today."

Cato nods before turning to Clove, "You didn't have to do that, or say anything. I remember how hard you took Gaius's death. Thank you for helping though."

"The guy is a predator Cato. He couldn't get you back so now he's trying to take Peeta. He can't get away with it," she says protective of her friends. "I hate to imagine what would've happened to you if you had gone on that third date," she adds reflectively.

"Well, as my best friend saved me from doing something regrettable, she doesn't have to worry about it anymore. I still owe her for that," Cato says appreciatively.

"She'll collect at a later date. Right now she and her boyfriend have wounds that need to be looked at," she smiles sweetly. "Would you be a dear and help us up to Foxface please?"

Before anyone could move or even say another word, loud booms echo throughout the city. As the buildings around them begin to shake and crumble the shield of arena above them shatters into billions of pieces and begins to rain down. Cato grabs Peeta and wraps his larger body around the smaller boy. From the corner of his eye, Peeta can see Gale protecting Clove in the same way.

Up on the bus, Madge, Delly, Katniss and Foxface use their bodies as a shield to protect the still barely breathing Rue. Rie tries to cover Madge and Delly with his body as much as he can as Marvel uses his to Protect Katniss and Foxface. The debris hits the kids hard and fast.

A hovercraft comes down and lands next to the bus. Rebels from District 13 come pouring out with stretchers to carry the injured tributes. A figure steps out to oversee the rescue.

"Hurry up. Get those trackers out and load them up. We've got company coming," says Mitchell. "I want to be out of here in the next 60 seconds."

They were out in 45 seconds.

_**Back in District 12**_

Fennel and Wheet were at the Hawthorne house again to watch the games. Lily and Prim were there as well. They were all talking quietly, thankful today wasn't the blood-fest it had been the day before. Even Wheet had a nightmare about Peeta attacking him with that Katana of his. No, today was a quiet day in comparison. On screen, the group had just gone swimming and were now heading to go somewhere else.

Prim was teasing Rory about Gale and Clove holding hands a lot when they had heard him screaming out her name from the TV. The two watch quietly as Gale finds Clove and the kiss they shared. Rory teases Prim back.

"So, Katniss is the only one of the three couples that hasn't kissed on live TV," he teases.

"She's such a prude," Prim agrees.

"Primrose Everdeen and Rory Hawthorne! Why would the two of you say such a thing about Katniss?" Lily asked shocked.

"Sorry Mrs. Everdeen," Rory says contritely.

"Sorry mom," Prim says sincerely. "But look, watch her with that Marvel boy. It's obvious they both like each other a lot. She's just repressing her feelings."

While Lily thinks that Prim has a point, she just shakes her head and watches as Peeta is being discussed by Cato, Clove, Gale, and the Leonitus boy from District 2.

"Oh that poor, dear boy," Hazel says when she hears the story of Clove's brother. "Such tragedy at a young age."

Not 5 minutes after that nasty Leonitus boy from 2 leaves the group, the screen turns to snow.

"What happened to brother Gale and brother Peeta mommy?" Posy asks. "Did you see?"

"I don't know Posy," Hazel replies looking to Lily and Fennel for answers.

"It sounded like there was a loud bang before the screen went all snowy," Fennel says a little confused. "But I'm not really certain if what I heard was real."

"I heard it too, Mr. Mellark," Rory says from the floor. "It even looked like the buildings were shaking but I can't be certain. The screen changed so quickly."

Everyone jumped when they heard Caesar Flickerman's voice.

"I'm so sorry folks. It looks like there is some technical difficulties with the cameras right now. The problem is being worked on as I speak. The games should resume shortly. In the meantime, let's enjoy a recap of today's events." He says in his ever present happy tone.

The screen changes to show the kids from District 12 waking up earlier that morning.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, why don't we cut into that delicious apple pie my father and I brought over while we wait for the Capitol to fix this problem?" Wheet suggests.

"Excellent idea Wheet," Hazel says getting up. "I'm sure everyone could use a small snack while we wait."

"Would it be okay if I help you?" Wheet asks standing up as well.

"That would be lovely Wheet," Hazel replies happily shocked at the question.

Rory and Wheet were busy washing the dishes from the pie everyone shared when there was a knock at the door. Hazel goes to the door to answer it finding Thom standing there, a very serious look on his face.

"Good afternoon Thom," Hazel greets. "What can I do for you today?"

"I need you to gather everyone here and head over to the fence. All of our lives are in serious danger," Thom says before turning on his heel to leave.

"Thom, please wait," Hazel calls out to him. "I don't understand what you mean. What's going on?"

Thom turns around and walks back to Hazel. ""The kids have been rescued from the arena by District 13. They are on their way to a safe place to meet up with their mentors. Then they will head to District 13 where they'll be safe," he tells her. "There are Capitol hovercrafts on their way here. We expect them in about 10 minutes or less. I need you and the others to meet me by the fence to the forest. When we reach a safe distance, I will explain everything else that I haven't told you." He turns back around and runs to the next house.

Hazel turns around and is shocked to find everyone else standing behind her. "Did you all hear that?" she asks. They all nod and say yes. "Rory, we'll be going into the forest. I'm not sure how long we'll be there. I want you to go and grab a couple warm blankets."

Rory turns to go and grab the blankets with Prim and Wheet following him. They go room to room grabbing enough blankets for everyone that is there.

"I will go into the kitchen and pack a bag full of food," Lily volunteers. Fennel goes to help her. They find several loaves of bread, some meat, as well as some cheeses. "I guess I did well bringing you all as much bread as I did. It sure has come in handy now." Fennel says thoughtfully.

Hazel gathers the jackets that were on the coat rack by the door. This morning had been cooler than normal and everyone wore a jacket of some sort.

Everyone gathers again by the door, ready to go. Blankets, food, and jackets gathered and accounted for.

"Dad, should we go and say something to mother?" Wheet asks, thinking of her sitting home alone. He is a little conflicted because of the last few days of fighting with her about Peeta, Rie, and the way she felt the family should be acting. Sure his mother was a major bitch, but she was still his mother. He didn't want the Capitol to get her and harm her. He hands his bundle of blankets and jackets to his father, "I'll meet you all at the fence soon. I have to try to save my mother," he says sadly. He runs out the door and heads into town towards the bakery.

"Fennel, if you want to go after him we'll understand and won't try to stop you," Lily tells him. She knows how important his sons are to him. "We can always meet up at the fence," she suggests.

Fennel smiles at the two women in front of him, knowing in his heart that what Lily said was the truth. "Thank you but no. I'm going to make sure you two and your children make it to the fence and out into the forest safely. Wheet is a fast runner and he'll meet us either near the fence or just outside of it," Fennel says confidently. "Now let's get out of here. The kids here need to get to safety and our other children are on their way to being safe."

The group gets to the fence and see that part of it has been torn down by other citizens seeking refuge in the forest. There were three strangers dressed in strange uniforms directing the District 12 citizens to a safe area. The group of two women, a man, and 4 children go through the fence apprehensively. They hear a voice from behind calling out to them.

"Please wait up! I'm coming!"

They turn around and see Wheet running towards them. Just then a large fireball explodes behind Wheet, lighting the sky and throwing the young man towards the fence. They all scream his name…

**Well, there you have it, Chapter 12. I hope it was worth the wait despite the fact that it is a little shorter than I had hoped. I do like this chapter as the tributes are **_**finally **_**rescued. I hope to have the next chapter out before Christmas but I can't make any promises. At any rate, I hope the holiday finds you all safe, sound, and happy!**


	13. Chapter 13: Discoveries and Confessions

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello all! **

**Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays if you prefer! I thought I'd give you all a gift today – my next chapter! **

_**MangoMagic**_**: First off, when I read your review, I couldn't stop smiling for like an hour! Seriously. This new chapter will answer some old questions and I hope you like it.**

_**Rolyn**_**: Yes, Seneca is a butt. As for Finnick, Wheet, and Peeta's parent – your questions will be answered here and now. Please read on and enjoy.**

_**shay89**_**: First I want to welcome you to my story. Here's my update.**

_**lincolnlog89**_**: I have to admit that it's difficult for me to post my chapters without a review from you. You are not only a great friend, but someone who's opinion I respect. I have no idea where my one-liners come from but glad you like them. I loved writing Leonitus for those two chapters. Your worries about Wheet, his fiancé, the witch, and Finnick shall be answered when you read on.**

_**movetotherythm**_**: Welcome to my insanity (and my story)! Your kind words mean a great deal to me. My biggest fear writing this story was not only trying to keep track of so many characters, but that no one would like it. I'm really happy that I have so many wonderful people encouraging me and to have you join their ranks. I look forward to hearing from you.**

Chapter 13: Discoveries and Confessions

_The Mentors_

Lyme watches as the mentors climb into the hovercraft. They lost some good people today. Finnick tried to stay behind but Mags convinced him to go. She closed the trap door behind him, sealing both their fates. Finnick had no choice but to stay with the group, the trap door could not be opened from the tunnel side. Then, halfway to their destination they group was attacked by peacekeepers that had managed to get into the tunnel. That's when they lost the morphlings from District 6, Cecilia, Seeder, Woof, Blight, and Wiress. Lyme could only imagine what happened to the Mentors that didn't join them.

As they take off, a refugee from District 8 named Bonnie came into the room where the mentors were gathered around a table. "I have news from the Tribute hovercraft. Thresh Temper didn't make it to the craft. And apparently the bombing of the arena caused some buildings to fall. Some debris from them had hit the tributes; three are reported to be seriously injured. Rue Burd died on the craft. We will rendezvous with the tribute craft within the hour. If we receive any more information on the tributes conditions, someone will be here to report to you." Bonnie nods once to the group before leaving.

Haymitch gets up and begins to pace the floor. Effie goes over to the bar and pours him a shot of whiskey hoping that it will calm his nerves. He had truly been doing so well up to this point. In fact she decides to pour a drink for everyone. Johanna sees what Effie is doing and offers to help. Once everyone has a glass, Brutus stands to make a toast. "To the kids and Mentors who didn't make it and to the kids we saved, we salute you all." The clinking of glasses is followed by the sounds of grunts from those who don't like the taste of whiskey. Effie makes a face that causes Johanna and Haymitch to laugh. Shortly thereafter, everyone jumps when Boggs walks into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but there is news coming from District 13. It appears there are hovercrafts heading to District 12. Our operatives there are working on getting as many of the citizens out to safety as they can. Also, the families of the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 5 have been retrieved and are on their way to District 13 now." Boggs gives them a moment to digest that information before continuing on. "We will meet up with the tribute hovercraft in about 30 minutes." With his report given, Boggs leaves the room.

_District 12_

After being knocked down by the blast, Fennel gets up and helps Hazel and Lily check on the kids before he takes off to find Wheet. Before he can get even 3 feet away, he sees Thom carrying an unconscious Wheet. Thom looks up to see Fennel standing there and yells, "Go help the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's. I've got Wheet. We have to go now!" Fennel turns and picks up Posy. They all quickly move through the forest listening to the explosions coming from behind them.

They soon come to a small clearing filled with the now homeless District 12 citizens. Thom finds a spot off to the side and sets Wheet down. Lily and brim immediately begin to inspect Wheet's injuries. What they find isn't good. He has severe burns on his back and legs.

"There's a lake just beyond those trees," Thom tells Lily. "Do you need any water?"

"We can soak one of the smaller blankets to cool the burns," Lily says.

Rory finds the smallest blanket and follows Thom to the lake. He comes back 5 minutes later and helps the Everdeen's to drape the blanket over Wheet's body.

"A hovercraft from District 13 will be here soon. There are medical personnel aboard to help with the injured." Thom informs them all.

Just as the craft arrives, Wheet regains conscience. "Dad, I tried to get Mother and Eliza to come with me but they both laughed at me, calling me a dumb fool," he says weakly. "I should've never gone for them. I'm sorry dad."

"It's alright son, you did what you felt was the right thing to do. I'm proud of you," Fennel tells him. "Now I want you rest and to let these people help you." Fennel adds tears falling down his face as a couple of men dressed in gray bring a stretcher over. He watches as they gently place Wheet on it. Lily and Prim decide to go with Wheet and the other injured to help if they could. Fennel stays with Hazel and the kids. He watches as the craft takes off with his son inside. Soon another craft comes and he follows Hazel and the kids inside.

As soon as the craft takes off for District 13, Thom walks up with a female who identifies herself as Twill from District 8. "I have news about the tributes," she says smiling gently. "Ten of them were rescued. Three are reported to be seriously injured. The others are injured as well, but mainly just cuts and bruises. We will be in 13 shortly. The Mentors that escaped in a separate craft are being reunited with the tributes as we speak. If I hear anymore, I will come find you." She finishes before leaving the room.

"Wheet is to be taken immediately to the infirmary," Thom tells them. "Mrs. Everdeen and Prim have gotten permission to stay with him given their medical knowledge. Mr. Mellark, it's up to you to decide but you can stay with Mrs. Hawthorne to wait for the tributes to land or I can take you to Wheet when we land. I'll get your decision when we land in about 15 minutes."

"Thank you Thom," Fennel says contemplating his choices. He could wait and see Rie and Peeta as soon as they land and be worrying about Wheet the whole time. Or he can be with Wheet and be worrying about Rie and Peeta's condition. He isn't sure what to do.

_The Tributes Craft_

Peeta opens his eyes and is confused as to where he is. He turns his head to the left and sees Gale lying in a bed. He turns to his right and sees Rie lying there. He hears a moan coming from somewhere down by his feet. He sits up and sees Marvel looking back at him. Next to Marvel is Cato. Or at least Peeta thinks its Cato. He can barely see some blonde hair sticking out from under the bandages wrapped around the head. Peeta takes a closer look and realizes his first assumption was right, it is Cato. It's then that he notices the beeping machines next to him. Peeta throws the covers off and stands on shaky legs before making his way over to Cato. He looks down at the older boy, afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him more.

He jumps when he hears Marvel's voice behind him. "Where are we? Where are the girls?"

Peeta looks around as he realizes he hadn't seen the girls. They're not there. "I don't know. I just woke up myself. Maybe the girls are in another room. Should we go look for them?" he asks the other boy.

"I think so," Marvel replies.

"Don't leave without me," Gale says scaring both Peeta and Marvel.

Peeta looks over to Rie, expecting him to speak next. He sees that Rie is hooked up to machines just like the ones Cato is.

"I'm certainly no doctor, but I think they'll both be out for a little longer. And probably more seriously hurt than us," Marvel says as he stands up. "Ugh, I hate these gown things. But at least they put shorts on us. Otherwise I could have gotten an eyeful of Peeta's sweet cheeks a few moments ago." Marvel and Gale laugh at Peeta's scowl.

"Oh yeah, that's really funny. Let's just go find the girls," Peeta snaps.

The 3 boys walk out the door into a hallway. They see a door directly across from the one they came out. Peeta opens it and is immediately relieved to see Katniss' seam gray eyes looking back at him, a smile on her face.

"Hey Peet! How's it going?" she asks before she notices Gale and Marvel behind him. "Gale! Marvel! You're okay too!" she smiles at them before it slowly fades. "Wait, where's Cato and Rie?" she asks as the door closes behind the boys that entered the room completely.

"They're still sleeping. Both are hooked up to machines," Peeta tells her.

"Like that one?" Katniss asks as she points to Madge's bedside.

"Exactly like that one," Marvel answers as he walks over to her, sitting down on her bed next to her. "How are you feeling?" seeing the bandages on her arms.

"I'm fine," she answers looking at her arms. "I kind of feel like I fell out of a tree though, a little achy all over."

Peeta looks around the room as Gale walks over to Clove's bed. "Where's Rue?" Peeta asks.

"I'm not sure," Katniss answers quietly. "I woke up moments before you opened the door. I barely had time to register where Madge, Delly, Clove, and Foxface were before you guys came in."

"Jeez, even in hell I can hear Catnip and Bread Boy's voices," Clove says, eyes still closed. "At least Muscles isn't here adding his 2 cents worth," she adds before opening her eyes. "Gale!" she gasps when she sees him.

"Yes _girlfriend_?" he teases, making her blush.

"So, you two made it official then?" Marvel asks teasingly.

"Apparently it became official when that creep, Leonitus was hitting on Peeta," Gale says, gazing down softly at Clove. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he adds smiling.

"Me either," Clove agrees happily. As she sits up with Gale's help, she looks around. "Where are Cato and Rie?"

"Across the hall. They're not awake yet." Peeta tells her. "They're hooked up to a bunch of machines like Madge," he says pointing at her. "I think I'll give you guys a few minutes of privacy to catch up. I'm going to go look around," he adds as he turns to the door.

He leaves the room, checking on Rie and Cato one more time before walking down the hallway. As he reaches a cross hall, he hears a voice he never thought he'd hear again.

"Peeta Bread! You're awake!" Johanna squeals. "Haymitch is around here somewhere making sure there's something to eat. How ya feeling?"

Peeta smiles at her, "I'm fine JoJo. It's good to see you too. What's going on? Where are we?"

"You must of hit your head pretty hard Loverboy," she teases. "We're in a hovercraft on our way to District 13. We just left District 5 where we joined you guys." She looks behind him, "Are any of the others awake yet?" she asks.

"Marvel, Gale, Katniss, and Clove are the only ones I know are awake. Cato, Rie, and Madge are all hooked up to machines. They all could be by now. I left to explore around," he tells her. "Why?"

"Once everyone's awake we're going to meet and eat," she laughs at her rhyme. "Let's go check on the others," she says as she hooks her arm into his, pulling him back down the hall he just came from. They go into the girl's room first. Madge appears to be the only one still out.

"So, Rie and Cato are across the hall hooked up to machines like hers?" Johanna asks quietly, not to anyone in particular.

"Yes they are," Marvel answers. "Is there something wrong if they're still connected?" he asks her worry lacing his voice. These were their friends that haven't woken up yet.

"Oh yeah. They'll just sleep a while longer as they were hurt just a little more than you all," Johanna plays down their injuries, knowing how worried they all were. "Let's go kids," she says changing the subject. "Time to eat!" she claims, rubbing her belly with her hand that wasn't holding onto Peeta. She pulls Peeta as she heads back out the door. Making sure the others are following, she says, "Don't worry about the three still sleeping. We have one of the finest doctors in all of Panem with us."

After several turns down a couple hallways, they finally reach their destination. "Here we are. Let's eat! I'm starving," Johanna says opening the door and sending the kids in first. Inside the very large room were several other people besides the mentors. Cinna, Portia, Venia, Flavius, Octavia, Fulvia, Plutarch, and Tigris all greeted the tributes before they all sat down to eat. It was crowded but the kids were happy to see everyone.

While Peeta was happy to see everyone, his mind kept drifting back to Rie. And Cato.

Haymitch, sitting to Peeta's right, watched as Peeta just played with his food. "The sooner you eat, the sooner you can get back to him boy," he says gruffly.

"I know. I'm just not very hungry," Peeta admits before putting his fork down and looking up at Haymitch. "Plus, we haven't seen Rue yet. Do you know where she is?" he asks noticing that everyone at the table got very quiet. "Okay, now I'm freaking out. What haven't we been told?"

"I know you wanted to wait until they were all awake Haymitch, but I don't believe they should be made to wait that long," Cinna says from across the table. "Better it comes from you now than from some stranger on this craft."

Haymitch sighs deeply. "Alright Cinna. I guess now is as good of time as any." He stands up, all eyes on him. He looks at each of the kids before he begins. "I'm not good at this and not really sure where to begin." He admits.

"Why don't you start with them in the arena?" suggests Lyme.

"Good idea," Haymitch says thankfully. "I'll start with when the arena gets bombed. From what we've been told, as the bombs hit, the buildings by where you all were waiting began to shake and crumble. Rie, Cato, and Madge got the brunt of the falling debris. Madge had a shattered collar bone, Rie's leg got a nasty gash, and Cato was hit in the head with a large chunk. His prognosis is the only one we're not quite sure about. He might have memory loss. We won't know for certain until he wakes." Haymitch had been looking at Peeta the entire time and noted his face ashen. He puts a hand on Peeta's shoulder when it looks like the young boy might bolt. He continues, voice shaky, "Little Rue didn't makes it," he can hear the girls gasp. "Once they got her on board, she passed on." He sees the tears falling down the four girl's faces. He watches Marvel easily pull Katniss into his lap, giving her a shoulder to cry on. Clove just lays her head on Gale's shoulder, tears silently falling. He continues, "But what I'm about to tell you will be hardest for my own tributes, my kids, to hear. We have reports that District 12 is gone, bombed by the Capitol," he holds his free hand up, the other still on Peeta's shoulder. "Please let me finish. There are survivors. They're waiting in District 13 for us to arrive. We don't know who made it out yet. We're hoping for a list or something." The silence is deafening as no one speaks. Suddenly Peeta shakes off Haymitch's hand, jumps up from his seat, and was out the door before anyone could stop him.

Clove is the first one to break the silence. "He needs Cato now more than ever," she says to no one in particular. "Cato calms him and keeps him sane. I hope Muscles wakes up soon." Gale wraps his arm around her shoulder. She looks up at him and sees that they both are worried about Peeta losing his mind.

Nobody noticed as Finnick slipped out the door behind Peeta.

Peeta manages to find his way back to the room through the tears in his eyes. He looks from Cato to Rie, unsure which one to go to first. He decides to go to Rie first, noticing he isn't hooked up to as many machines as he was earlier. It gives Peeta hope that at least his brother will wake soon. He takes Rie's hand into his. "I need you Rie," he begins, speaking softly. "Cato's hurt badly, Rie. Rue, Thresh, and Glimmer are dead because I failed them. And now District 12 is gone. The damn Capitol destroyed our home." Peeta's voice hitches on the last sentence, tears streaming faster. He squeezes Rie's hand as he turns to go to Cato. He stops when Rie squeezes back. Peeta turns quickly back to his brother but slumps his shoulders when he sees Rie's eyes are still closed. He leans down, kisses his brother's forehead, whispering, "I'll be back. I need to check on Cato."

He wipes the tears from his face as he walks over to Cato's bed. He climbs up to sit by Cato's hip, mindful of the tubes and wires coming off the large boy. He reaches up and traces his fingers across Cato's features – down the slope of the nose, across the soft lips, and along the jawline before resting his hand above Cato's heart. He starts talking, "Cato, I hope you can hear me. I need you. I need to feel your arms around me, keeping me safe and giving me the strength I don't have on my own. I need to hear your voice telling me not to worry, that everything will be alright." The tears begin to slowly fall down Peeta's cheeks yet again. "I need you to tell me that those we lost today wasn't my fault." He closes his eyes holding Cato's limp hand in both of his smaller ones, and lets the tears come. He cries for Glimmer, Thresh, and Rue dying, for Cato, Rie, and Madge's more serious injuries, and for District 12.

Finnick watches from the door. He had arrived just as Peeta climbed on Cato's bed. He watched the tender caresses Peeta gave Cato. He heard the words meant for Cato. He realizes that now is not the time to talk to Peeta. He also made another discovery that hits him like a ton of bricks – he's ready to let Peeta go for now. He still loves Peeta, but wants to put Peeta first and that means letting Peeta be with the one he loves. That thought stuns him even more, Peeta loves Cato! Even that revelation doesn't sting as bad as Finnick thought. He slowly backs out the door quietly closing it behind him. He had followed Peeta to fight for him and he was leaving him to be with the one he loved. He goes back to the dining room.

Back in the dining room, they were waiting for news, any news about District 12, its citizens, and who made it to District 13. While waiting for something to happen, Marvel, Clove, and Foxface learned that their families, as well as Cato's family, would be waiting for them in 13 when they arrived. Despite their worries of home, Delly, Gale, and Katniss ask questions about the other families.

"Wait, you had a step brother named Gaius and Cato's little brother is named Gaius?" Gale asks Clove incredulously. "That's weird."

"Yeah, it was. But the two of them got along great. Little Gaius took Big Gaius's death pretty hard."

Before Gale could respond, Boggs rushed into the room. "I have some news about the District 12 refugees. But it's not all good. Hawthorne, Everdeen, your whole families were rescued along with a Fennel and Wheet Mellark. Cartwright, I'm sorry to tell you that your family, as well as the Undersee's, have yet to be accounted for and are feared dead. If anything changes, I'll let you know." Boggs turns and heads back out the door. Cinna and Portia, who were flanking Delly, offer her comfort.

"Who are Fennel and Wheet Mellark?" Brutus asks confused. "Wait, isn't Mellark the last name of two of your tributes this year 'Mitch? And what's up with their odd names?"

Haymitch looks at Brutus, "Yeah. Fennel is their father and Wheet is their older brother. And their names are no more odd than 'Brutus' is." He replies.

"Someone should go tell Peeta," Finnick says nonchalantly. Gale whips his head in Finnick's direction. "Don't look at me like that Hawthorne. I'd tell him myself but he'd never believe me and we both know it." Finnick softens his tone, "You should tell him Gale."

"I think I will," Gale says, unable to fathom the change in Finnick since they last saw one another. Back when Finnick was fighting to get to Peeta back at the training center. Gale shakes the thoughts from his head as he stands up, giving Clove a kiss on top of her head whispering, "I'll be back." It takes him a few minutes, but he eventually finds his way to the room where Cato and Rie were. He opens the door, but doesn't see Peeta anywhere. As he turns to check in the other room, he notices Rie's eyes flutter open.

"Hey Rie, how you feeling?" he asks as he takes the few steps to the side of the bed.

"Well, my leg hurts like hell but otherwise I feel fine," he says. He struggles to sit up before Gale helps him. He looks around, "Where is everyone? I just see the big guy." He asks.

"Madge is across the hall. You, Cato, and I are here. The rest are in a large dining room, except for Peeta who I thought was here. Have you seen him? I have news," Gale declares.

Before Rie has a chance to respond, they hear Peeta's voice before seeing him.

"I'm over here," he says standing up from next to Cato's bed. "What's this news you have?" he asks tiredly, walking over to Rie's bed.

"I have some very, shall we say interesting, news from District 13," Gale teases smiling widely.

"What news?" Peeta and Rie ask at the same time.

"Well, Mrs. Everdeen and Prim are in 13," Gale says pausing dramatically.

"What about your family?" Rie asks impatiently.

Gale gets a really goofy smile on his face, "Mom and the kids are in 13 as well. But there's just a little more," Gale teases, pausing again. This time the pause is because he isn't sure how Peeta will take the news. He just spits it out, "Your father and Wheet are in 13 as well. We'll see them all soon."

"What?" Rie asks incredulously.

"How?" Peeta asks surprised. Both brothers' questions asked at the same time.

"I don't know how they ended up there," Gale says. "There's more, and it's not so good. The Cartwright's and the Undersee's are still missing."

"Wait a minute Gale, could one of you please tell me what the hell is going on? What are our families doing in 13, while the Cartwright's and Undersee's are missing?" Rie asks really confused.

Gale and Peeta both look at Rie surprised. They had forgotten that Rie was asleep and didn't have the information they did.

"Rie, District 12 is gone," Peeta says sadly.

"The Capitol bombed it. Some people made it out," Gale adds.

"Apparently those that did are now in District 13," Peeta finishes.

"Any word on Mother?" Rie asks.

"I can answer that," a new voice says. The three boys turn to the voice and see Mitchell standing just inside the door. "I just got off the radio with Jackson. She told me that your brother was trying to get your Mother to leave the district but she refused. I'm sorry to say, but the bakery is gone. Obliterated by the bombs. Wheet is in the hospital, badly burned. Primrose and Mrs. Everdeen are with him, helping where they can. As for the others, Mr. Mellark is waiting in the hanger for our arrival with Mrs. Hawthorne and three of her children. That's all I have to report now. Mitchell tells them. He looks at the Mellark brothers, "I'm sorry about your mother boys," he says as he walks out the door. He stops again. "One more thing boys, we'll be landing in 13 in about an hour." He leaves, closing the door behind him.

"So, the witch is gone," Rie says with a grin on his face. He's not upset by the fact she's gone.

"Yeah," Peeta agrees with a matching grin that slowly fades. "But Wheet is hurt. How the hell did that happen? And why was Dad with Mama Hazel? What the fuck happened while we were gone?" Peeta asks running his hands through his already messy hair. He looks over to Cato. He _really_ needed him to wake up and hold him, calm him down, ease his fears, let him know he wasn't alone. Why was he so dependent on Cato now? His thoughts are interrupted by Rie.

"I have a theory," Rie says. "Don't be mad at me guys, but I had asked dad to take bread to the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's on reaping day."

"That was very thoughtful of you Rie," Gale says, just slightly confused. "But why?"

"To be honest, the pact – our pact. When Peeta volunteered for Rory, it meant all six of us were going in the arena and leaving the families unprovided for. I couldn't do nothing. Plus, you and your family took care of Peeta. I wanted to return the favor, so to speak." Rie tells Gale. "And as long as I'm honestly making confessions, you and your family have been like a second family to me since we all began training together. I really liked having them all in my life." Rie admits.

"Well then _brother_, thank you for thinking and taking care of _our_ families," Gale says putting his hand on Rie's shoulder. He turns his attention to Peeta. "I'm going to head back now to let everyone know Rie is awake. Do you want to come with me Peeta?"

Peeta turns his eyes from Cato, "No, I think I'll just stay here a little longer. I'm just not in the mood to be around all those people," he says. Thanks for asking though," he adds.

Just then the door opens again. This time a tall man enters, wearing a white lab coat.

"Oh, hello boys," the man says. "My name is Dr. Aurelius. I just came in to check on Rie and Cato." He looks down at Rie. "How would you like to get out of that bed Rie?"

"That would be fantastic," Rie answers enthusiastically, throwing the covers off himself.

Dr. Aurelius grabs a wheelchair from nearby and puts it next to the bed. "Due to the injury on your leg that isn't quite fully healed, you'll have to get around in this," he says gesturing to the chair.

"That's fine with me Doc," Rie replies anxious to get out of the room and see the others. Gale helps the doctor get Rie into the chair.

"I'll take Rie with me. I'm headed back to the dining room anyway," Gale offers.

"Excellent. I still need to check on Cato there, so that helps me immensely," Dr. Aurelius smiles at Gale.

Gale pushes Rie out the door as Dr. Aurelius and Peeta go over to Cato's bed. Peeta stands out of the way, letting the doctor work. When he's done, he turns to Peeta, "Everything seems to be fine. I'm just going to disconnect the rest of these. Cato should wake up soon after," he tells him.

Once all the tubes and wires are removed, Dr. Aurelius points to button on the wall next to Cato's bed. "If, when he wakes up, and there are any problems or he doesn't seem like himself, push that button and I will be here immediately."

"I will, and thank you Dr. Aurelius," Peeta says as he takes Cato's hand into his.

"You're very welcome Peeta," the doctor answers as he walks out the door.

Peeta sits on the bed again. The bandages are still wrapped around Cato's head. As Peeta sits there waiting for Cato to wake up, he notices that there is a bandage on his arm. He looks at his own arm and sees the bandage there. He then realizes that they all had bandages on their arms. He wonders what lies underneath as he touches the one on Cato's arm gingerly. He jumps when he hears a familiar voice.

"That's where they removed your trackers."

Peeta whips his head around to see Finnick standing in the doorway. "What can I do for you Finnick?" he asks tiredly.

"I just came to talk to you in private," Finnick admits as he walks into the room. "It will only take a moment of your time, I promise."

Peeta doesn't really want to deal with Finnick's drama. "Fine," he says standing up and facing his former lover. "Let's get on with it," he says, crossing his arms.

"Look, I'm really not here to fight with you." He holds his hands up in a surrendering like gesture, hoping Peeta would see he wasn't there to fight. "I came to tell you that I'm giving up, letting you go."

"Why now? What's the catch? What changed your mind now?" Peeta fires off skeptically.

"I'm being honest here. It was watching you with him," he gestures to Cato not taking his eyes off Peeta. "In the arena, seeing the two of you together was hard. It hurt to see you with him. The hardest thing to watch was the night you and him had the watch and you kissed. It brought back memories of the two of us, many good. But not all." Finnick tells him, hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet. "It brought back the memory of the aftermath of the worst night of my life. The night I hurt you."

"We don't need to talk about that," Peeta says, the memory hitting him hard, the pain still there.

"But I do Peeta. If I'm truly going to let you go, I need to." He looks into Peeta's blue eyes, seeing all the hurt he had caused in them. "I need you to know I never meant to hurt you. Sleeping with Annie that night was the worst mistake I ever made. We had been drinking, and I know that's a cliché excuse, but it is the truth." He pauses, giving Peeta a chance to speak.

"I could've dealt with your drunken sex with Annie. But it wasn't just the sex Finnick," Peeta says feeling the anger coming on.

"Then please tell me what it was that kept us apart because I honestly don't remember and you kept refusing to tell me. I need to know!" Finnick pleads. "What part of all this am I missing?"

"Fine Finnick! Let's talk about how you had sex in _our_ bed! Or how when she told you she loved you, you told her you loved her too, '_more than anyone'_! Or how that night resulted in her getting pregnant! Which would you like to start with?" Peeta yells.

Finnick just stands there, not knowing what to say for once.

"Those are the things that kept us apart Finnick." Peeta says in a calmer voice. "How is the baby, by the way?"

Finnick looks down, "She hasn't delivered it yet as far as I know. She's in 13 as we speak." Finnick looks at Peeta and quietly asks, "I really told her I loved her more than you?"

Peeta looks into Finnick's eyes, seeing the doubt, shame, and extreme sadness he was feeling. "Yes Finnick, you did. And if it weren't for the baby, I might have _thought_ of giving you a second chance. But that innocent child, as well as Annie, need you. I had to let you go, for them." Peeta smiles sadly at Finnick, "You will always have a special place in my heart Finn. You were my first love. And we'll always be friends, if you want."

"I'd like that Peeta. And thank you for your honesty and loving me. You should know I came by earlier to talk. You were with Cato, crying. It was at that moment I realized I couldn't fight for your love anymore. Especially when you had already given it to someone else. You love Cato and I'm going to respect that," Finnick says meaning every word he said. "Well, I better go. I have things to do before we get to 13. Please let Cato know that he has nothing to worry about from me."

"I will Finnick. Take care of yourself."

"I will Peet, see ya around." With that, Finnick was gone.

"See ya Finn," Peeta says quietly.

"Finnick's going to be a father?" Cato asks quietly from behind Peeta.

Peeta spins around at the sound of Cato's voice. "Cato! You're awake!" he says rushing to his side. "How are you feeling?"

Cato reaches up and puts his hand on Peeta's cheek, looking into Peeta's warm blue eyes, "I'm fine. My head hurts like a son of bitch, but I'm fine. I noticed you haven't answered my question."

Peeta rolls his eyes before answering. "I know you heard me say he is. Why are you asking me about it?"

"I don't know, maybe I just needed you to confirm it again." Cato admits. "Finnick also said that you love me, is that true too?"

Before Peeta could answer, Katniss walks into the room. "Hey Cato, you're finally awake! So is Madge." She says smiling at the older boy. "Sorry if I'm interrupting but Haymitch says he wants to see you across the hall. He muttered something about righting the wrongs of the past."

Just then Dr. Aurelius walks into the room. "Ah Cato, you're awake. How are you feeling? Care to sit up?" He asks as he walks to the bed.

"Who are you?" Cato asks confused by the new face that knew him.

"Oh sorry. My name is Dr. Aurelius. I took care of you all when you were brought aboard from the arena." He answers as he helps Cato sit up. "How's that? Any dizziness or nausea?"

"Nope, I feel fine. Well, I have the mother of all headaches, but otherwise I feel fine." Cato tells the doctor.

"Well, that's to be expected. You did take a serious blow to the head. I have some medicine to give to you after I finish my exam." Dr. Aurelius says as he starts removing the bandages on Cato's head. He finishes the exam a few minutes later handing Cato a glass of water and two pills. "Lucky for you all, I managed to bring some Capitol medicine along with me when I escaped. Plutarch Heavensbee suggested it when he convinced me to join him rebel against the Capitol, to be here to help you kids after the rescue. Now, let's see if you can stand up Cato." Peeta helps Dr. Aurelius stand Cato up. "How do you feel now Cato?"

"Still good. Can I go with Peeta and Katniss across the hall?"

"Let's check your balance as you walk before I decide," Dr. Aurelius answers.

Cato walks around with Peeta on one side and the doctor on the other.

"Very good. I guess it would be alright for you to go. But if you feel dizzy or nauseous, I want you to immediately sit down and send someone to come get me, understand?" the doctor asks.

"Yes," Cato replies.

"We will Dr. Aurelius," Peeta promises. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome, all of you. Remember to take it easy Cato. I'll check on all of you again in the morning." Dr. Aurelius says before leaving the three teens.

"Come on you two. Haymitch is going to blow a gasket if we don't get over there," Katniss says heading for the door.

The three cross the hall and enter the other room. "Sorry it took so long. Look whose finally awake," Katniss says gesturing behind her.

"Cato!" everyone calls out!

"Finally," Haymitch says. "My tributes need to listen closely. When we land in 13, you will get a few minutes to say hello to your families. Peeta and Rie, I want, no I need you to convince your father to join us. We're going to have a little get together. I'll meet you all by the exit to the hanger. When we're done, you'll be able to go to the infirmary to see Wheet. Someone will be here shortly to lead you to the exit of the hovercraft as I have other business to take care of first. I'll see you all real soon."

After Haymitch left, Clove walks over to Cato, "Muscles, it's good to see you up and walking around," she tells him putting a hand on his arm. "Have you been told anything about what's happened since we were rescued? Because Madge just woke up and hasn't heard anything yet."

Cato shakes his head, "I just woke up. What have I missed?" he asks, his curiosity piqued.

Peeta brings a chair over, "Why don't you sit down first. There's a lot to take in."

Cato sits down, "Okay, I'm ready. Tell me." He looks at the faces of the others before realizing someone is missing, "Where's Rue?" he asks concerned that she isn't there. Peeta stands next to him as Katniss replies, "Cato, Rue didn't make it. She died as they brought her on the hovercraft."

Cato feels horrible. He really liked the spunky little girl. He looks up at Peeta knowing that he was probably blaming himself. He pulls the younger boy onto his lap before whispering, "Are you okay?"

Peeta just nods, turning to face Cato before whispering, "I'm doing better now, just don't let go of me. There's more to tell you and it's not all good."

The two boys watch as the others sit on the beds getting comfortable. Marvel and Katniss are sitting side by side on the bed to the right; Gale and Clove take the bed to the left. On the bed next to them are Delly, Foxface, and Madge. Sitting in the wheelchair in front of them, facing towards them is Rie.

"Peeta, did Haymitch just say your dad was in 13?" Cato asks, getting the conversation started.

Peeta leans back, head on Cato's shoulder, "Yeah. Our dad and brother both are."

Gale watches the pair and begins the tale, "The Capitol bombed District 12 Cato. My family and Katniss's family got out safely as did Peeta and Rie's dad. But their older brother Wheet got burned pretty badly. Katniss's mother and sister are with him as we speak."

Cato tightens his hold on Peeta, shocked at the news. "Oh god, I'm so sorry guys." He looks over to Rie and asks, "What happened to you Rie? How come you're in that chair?"

"A chunk of building landed on my leg. I'm in this chair until Dr. Aurelius checks me in 13." Rie tells him, shrugging like it was no big deal.

"Cato, there's more you need to know," Clove says. Cato turns to her as she continues, "Your family is in District 13 as well. As are mine, Marvel's, and Foxface's."

Cato's face lights up with the prospect of seeing his younger siblings, "Really?"

"Yeah, they were all picked up today before we were rescued," Marvel adds smiling.

"This is awesome, thanks for the good news guys," Cato says happily.

"Okay, Bread Boy has definitely been a positive influence on you," Clove teases Cato. "Peeta is not allowed to leave you now – ever!" Everyone laughs as the door opens. Boggs walks in.

"Oh great, you're all here awake and together. Definitely makes my job easier. Are you guys ready to see your families?" he asks. They all nod excitedly. "Great. Let's go troops."

They follow Boggs down several hallways until they reach the ramp where the mentors are waiting for them. They all walk out together, the cheers of those waiting rising to a deafening roar. The teens see their families located closest to the ramp.

"Go to your family Cato," Peeta says turning to the older boy. Cato leans down and gives him a kiss before going to his family. Peeta turns to Foxface who had been pushing Rie's chair and giving her a smile before taking over. "Shall we Peet," Rie asks from below.

"Look, your dad is with my mom," Gale points out. "Why don't we all walk together?"

The four go over to Hazel and Fennel.

Fennel watches as his sons get closer. He begins to fidget.

"Be calm Fennel," Hazel whispers to him. "It'll be fine."

Gale rushes up to his mom, hugging her tightly as Katniss is attacked by Posy and Vick.

Peeta looks up at his dad unsure how to act. "Hi dad," he says before his dad pulls him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry son," Fennel whispers as tears fall down his cheeks. "I should've been a better father."

"It's okay dad," Peeta says crying as well. "I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago."

Fennel hugs Rie before turning to Peeta, "Where's Cato? I was hoping to get to meet the young man that took care of my son."

"He's with his family right now. You'll meet him soon, I promise," Peeta replies, shocked at his dad's acceptance of his boyfriend.

Fennel looks at Rie, "How come you're in a chair, son?"

"A piece of debris fell on me. I'll see Dr. Aurelius soon to make sure I'm okay. I'm more worried about Wheet. How's he doing?" Rie asks.

"He tried to get your Mother and Eliza to come with us but they refused. On his way to join us, he was hit by a bomb. He's burned pretty bad but he has Lily and Prim taking care of him." Wheet tells his sons. "Would you like to go see him now?"

"Actually dad, Haymitch wants to see us. He says you're to come. Apparently it's pretty important." Rie tells him as Peeta goes to greet Hazel and the kids.

Peeta walks over and gives Hazel a hug, "I missed you Mama Hazel!"

"I missed you too Peeta. You look well." she tells him.

"Brother Peeta! Where's my hug?" Posy asks, tugging on his arm.

Peeta turns to the little girl, picking her up and spinning her in a circle before hugging her close. He sets her down before pulling Vick and Rory both into a hug. "I missed you all," he tells them.

"Hey Peet, you ready to go? We still have to meet with Haymitch," Rie says.

"We'll meet you guys in Wheet's room," Hazel says to them before they leave.

As Fennel pushes Rie towards Haymitch, Cato comes running up, "Can I come with you Peeta?" he asks.

Peeta smiles, taking Cato's hand, "I'd love that Cato. But first I'd like you to meet my dad. Dad, this is Cato."

"I'm glad to meet you Cato," Fennel says holding a hand out to Cato.

"Nice to meet you too sir," Cato replies shaking the older man's hand.

Peeta takes Cato's hand as they all resume walking towards Haymitch. They see Delly and Madge already with him.

"I got us a room where we can meet privately," Haymitch says as they reach him. They follow Haymitch to an elevator. It's a tight fit with the wheelchair. They go down two floors. The doors open to reveal a long hallway with several doors on both sides. They enter a door labeled _Conference Room F_. As they walk in, the lights come on automatically. The room is fairly large with gray walls and floors. There is a long, rectangular table in the middle of the room. They all go and sit except Haymitch who remains standing.

When they're all seated Haymitch begins, "I need you all to just let me get the story out without ANY interruptions until I finish, understand?" They all nod. "Great. This story begins 25 years ago when I was reaped along with Maysilee Donner. But what you don't know is that wasn't actually Maysilee in the arena with me. And it obviously wasn't Mayor Undersee's wife Madilee either. It was actually Marilynn Donner. The three were triplets but Marilynn was raised as their cousin. After the reaping, Marilynn and Maysilee traded places. They did it for me. I was madly in love with Maysilee and never would've been able to kill her in the arena. Marilynn went in to ensure I would come home as the victor, which I did. Fast forward 7 years. Maysilee and I kept our relationship secret from the Capitol. They had killed my family and wouldn't have second thoughts about killing my girl too. Maysilee and Madilee both got pregnant at the same time. There were two other women that were expecting at that time as well, Mrs. Cartwright and my step sister, your mother Peeta and Rie. All four women were due within days of each other. Madilee and Maysilee went into labor first. At the time, Seeder was visiting. She was a victor from District 11. She was a midwife back in her district so she helped with the deliveries. Long story short, both women delivered girls. Madilee's was stillborn. Something had happened during the delivery and she was left barren. Maysilee's delivery was the exact opposite. Not wanting her sister to never know what it was like being a parent, we switched the babies. Maysilee and I knew we could always try again for another one. A few days later, Mrs. Cartwright and Mrs. Mellark also delivered babies a single girl for the Cartwright's and a boy and girl for the Mellark's. Now this is where things go from bad to worse. Mr. Cartwright was in the Capitol on business and missed the birth of his child that died the day after it was delivered. Mrs. Cartwright had gone into a catatonic state after the birth and wasn't aware the infant died. Seeder, using my alcoholism and my relationship with Maysilee against me, convinced me to switch the female babies." Haymitch ends the story by saying, "Fennel, Delly is your biological daughter and Madge is mine."

The room remained absolutely silent. Haymitch was sure that Fennel was going to jump up and beat the living shit at any moment. The person who finally broke the silence was unexpected.

"I get what you did for my pare – uh, the Undersee's," Madge begins. "But why did you do what you did to the Mellark's?"

"Honestly, at the time I thought I was doing the Cartwright's a favor. Neither one got to know their daughter. Had Mr. Cartwright been there, I'm sure Seeder would've never had the idea to switch the infants. As it was, Seeder convinced me that due to the circumstances, Mrs. Cartwright would have gone insane after recovering and finding out her daughter died. With my booze addled mind, I didn't see how wrong the whole situation was. There's just no excuse for my actions."

"You're leaving out something Haymitch. What did Seeder have on you to convince you?" Cato asks trying to help out his boyfriend's family get to the truth.

Haymitch sighs heavily, "Seeder had figured out about Marilynn and Maysilee switching places for the games as well as our secret relationship. She threatened to tell the Capitol, to tell Snow. Snow had already taken my family; I wasn't going to lose Maysilee too."

"And what about your step sister, our Mother? Did you see what your decision did to her? What she did to Peeta?" Rie yells at Haymitch. "Your choices tore apart our family! Mother very nearly killed Peeta! Where the hell was your conscience then Haymitch?"

Haymitch looks at Rie, his face showing the pain and sorrow of knowing what he did to Peeta. "At the time your Mother attacked Peeta and kicked him out, I was here in 13 planning a rebellion. When I got home and heard about Peeta, I convinced myself that Peeta was in a better place." Haymitch knows what he's saying sounds like nothing more than a bunch of excuses. "Look, I'm here to beg for forgiveness. Hell, even I know I don't deserve it. I just couldn't keep this secret anymore. The guilt is killing me."

Fennel is doing his damnest to keep his anger in check. He could kill Haymitch for the suffering he has caused so many people. He takes a deep breath before he finally speaks, "Haymitch, I think it would be best if you left right now. Just send someone to come takes to see Wheet."

"As you wish Fennel," Haymitch says knowing that he was walking away without getting the beating he so rightly deserved.

With Haymitch gone, Fennel turns to the girls, "How are you two holding up? I know with everything you just went through and hearing this, you are probably exhausted."

"I'm not sure what I'm feeling at this moment," Madge admits.

"It's all too much. I don't know. I just don't want to think," Delly says confused as to how to talk to the man who she just found out was her birth father.

Fennel turns to his sons, "Boys, what's your take on what you heard?"

Rie speaks first, "Well, if Haymitch is Mother's brother that would make Madge our cousin. And we found out that Delly is our sister that we just learned we had. To be honest, my head is spinning. I'm not sure how much more I can take."

Peeta is drowning in a sea of confusion. He looks at Cato who gently smiles encouragingly at him. He turns to his dad, "I don't know how I should be feeling. I thought I wanted answers but these answers are just leading to more questions. It's a never ending cycle I just want to end."

Cato is impressed with Mr. Mellark. The man just found out that the child he mourned for 17 years is alive and well, living just down the road from him, and has retained a level of restraint Cato has never seen before. He doesn't think he could have just let that old drunkard walk away like that without even raising his voice. Then there's Peeta. The poor guy looks like he doesn't which way is up. The strong, self-assured boy he met at the training center is missing and Cato wants to help Peeta find him again. Cato looks at the others. Katniss and Gale are sitting in stunned silence; Madge and Delly are wearing matching facial expressions of utter confusion; Rie looks as if he could kill someone; Peeta is holding Cato's hand tightly as if he might float away if he let's go; and Mr. Mellark is staring at Delly as if he's missing something.

"Now that you heard Haymitch tell his story, how are _you_ feeling Mr. Mellark?" Cato asks feeling everyone's shocked faces staring at him.

Fennel looks over at his son's boyfriend and smiles. He is really beginning to like the boy. "I was just thinking that we should have some tests run to make sure Haymitch was telling the truth." He looks to the other kids in the room, gauging their reactions. They all nod slightly. "As for how I'm feeling? I'm so angry at Haymitch for doing what he did and keeping it hidden for so long. I'm sad for the kids having to deal with this information on top of the fact that they just lost those they loved. And a little happy as well – my boys are no longer fighting to the death." He turns to Cato smiling brightly, "I'm also happy that Peeta has found someone like you."

Cato is surprised to hear that. He knew his own parents were fine with who he was but was expecting Peeta's dad to be a little more resistant to the idea.

Before Cato can respond, there is a knock on the door. Boggs enters, "Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I was sent here by Haymitch. He asked me to give you these papers and to take you to see your son."

"Oh, thank you," Fennel says taking the papers from Boggs. He looks down at them, unaware of the looks from the others wanting to know what they say. After a few moments, Rie speaks.

"What are they dad?" he asks nervously.

Fennel looks up, "These are the results of the tests I wanted to do. They're dated this morning and say that Madge is Haymitch's daughter and Delly is definitely mine." He looks at the girls to see their reactions. Madge looks stunned and Delly gives Fennel a small smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Is there anything else dad?" Peeta asks.

"There's a signed confession from Seeder. It states she blackmailed Haymitch into switching the babies. She asks that we blame her and only her." Fennel tells them all. He sees Boggs still standing by the door, waiting to take them to Wheet. "I say we just put this mess on hold and go see Wheet. He'll be happy to see you all." Fennel says deciding to take a break from the problem for a short while. "Cato, I hope you'll join us as well," he says. "I'm sure Wheet would love to meet you."

"I would be happy to come with you, thank you sir," Cato replies. He can feel the tension in Peeta's body easing. Whether it's from taking time away from thinking about Haymitch's confession or his agreeing to go with them, Cato didn't care as long as Peeta was relaxed and happy.

The group stands up and follow Boggs to Wheet's hospital room.

**Not my best ending for a chapter but I hope that I at least gave you some interesting reading! **


	14. Chapter 14: Meet the Parents

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello everyone! Happy belated 2013! I hope you all had a great New Year's. My New Year's eve was fun until the hangover lol. No praying to the porcelain gods thankfully, but it did take me an entire day to recuperate. I do want to apologize for taking so long to update. I had my 12 year old niece over until December 29****th****. (Let's just say I know more about the group **_**One Direction **_**than I ever imagined.) Then there was my previously mentioned hangover. Oh, I got some new PS3 video games (Resident Evil 6 and the Walking Dead) to try out and new books (the Fifty Shades trilogy) to read as well for gifts. All that was followed by trying to get this chapter written. **

**To those who followed / favorited my story since the last chapter, I welcome you and appreciate your support!**

_**Mhardman: **_**I'm so sorry I scrambled your mind and confused you. It certainly wasn't my intention. Forgive me? **

_**MangoMagic: **_**Yeah, I probably did make my story a little too sad for the holiday. With everything that Peeta is dealing with, I couldn't have Cato lose his memory. I couldn't do that to either one of them. But that's not to say that it won't have other effects… As for Delly and Madge, well I wanted something I had never seen before in any story. I really like having these two more in the story. Read on to be introduced to **_**all**_** the tributes families **** The families will be a part of this story. Whether or not those roles will be big or small is yet to be seen. Also, a Peeta/Cato moment in this chapter ;)**

_**movetotherhythm:**_** Peeta's family just keeps getting bigger lol. Poor Haymitch, he wronged the Mellark family but with the rebellion happening he might be able to redeem himself in their eyes. Finnick says he's letting go of Peeta, but is he lying to Peeta, Cato, and himself? We're not only meeting Cato's parents, but the other tributes parents as well this chapter. **

_**lincolnlog89:**_** Thank you for the Christmas wishes! I did promise we'd see many of the characters from the books and Bonnie and Twill are mentioned, maybe seen again later. I knew that Peeta's Mother wasn't going to 13; she's just too much of a bitch. As for the fiancé, she needed to go as well. I have big plans for Wheet. ;) I couldn't do that to my poor, sweet Peeta. As for Cato's head injury, he may not have lost his memory but it will come into play again. I was a little shocked that no one commented / figured out about Finnick's secret. I had mentioned earlier in the story that he loved Annie – Peeta said something about it lol. As for the baby switch, I had loads of fun with that.**

_**Guest:**_** Hello newbie and welcome to my insanity, lol. So glad you found it! If you want, pm me your idea. I would really love to hear about it. And also feel free to pm me if you have questions or want help.**

_**yuntani: **_**Hello and welcome. Sorry to keep you waiting for an update, please enjoy this chapter **

Chapter 14: Meet the Parents, a Nightmare, and More

As the group arrives in the hospital on the floor in which Wheet was staying, the group finds Clove, Marvel, and Foxface waiting for them. With them are the 4 Hawthorne's and the 2 Everdeen's. Marvel is sitting next to Prim telling her about his home. Clove was sitting between Vick and Posy smiling at the little girl who was telling the older one about the hovercraft she rode in. The three tributes look up and see the haunted looks on the group's faces. Marvel stands up and Katniss throws herself into his arms, the shock of the recent discoveries still disturbing her. Clove sees that Gale is also preoccupied. Hazel and Lily see anger and joy on Fennel's face.

Fennel looks at the ladies, "I'll tell you everything after I see Wheet."

Both women nod. "Dr. Aurelius just left. He applied some burn cream on Wheet's burns. Wheet will have to stay overnight but should be able to leave in the morning. You can go in now to visit." Lily tells him.

"Thanks Lily," Fennel replies. He turns to Delly and Madge, "Would you like to join us?"

The two girls share a look before Delly replies, "Sure. We probably should be there when you tell him."

Cato tries to let go of Peeta's hand so he could see his brother. He already overstepped the boundaries by going with Peeta and learning the dark secrets Haymitch kept.

Fennel sees the two boys and intervenes, "You boys coming? Wheet's waiting for us."

But Peeta refused to let go, "Please stay with me. I haven't talked to Wheet in years and I need you by my side." Peeta didn't understand why he was being so needy; he just didn't want Cato to go yet.

"Peeta, go be with your family. I'll be out here waiting for you. I promise." Cato tells him, trying to be strong for him.

Fennel can hear their conversation and speaks. "Cato, you are a member of this family. The minute you protected Peeta with your own life you proved you would be there for him. Besides, Wheet would love to meet you."

Cato looks up at Mr. Mellark, "Thank you sir." He turns to Peeta, "Guess you're stuck with me now."

"No place I'd rather be," Peeta tells him smiling.

Delly knocks on the door before opening it to let Fennel push Rie in. Madge, Peeta, and Cato follow. Wheet looks up and smiles widely when he sees his dad and Rie. He's shocked when the other four follow behind. "You're here! You got out!" he exclaims. "Did the others make it out too? Katniss and Gale? The boy from 1, the girls from 2, 5, and 11?"

At the mention of Rue, the 5 teens all look down. "Little Rue didn't make it." Rie tells his brother.

"Oh, I'm so sorry guys," Wheet says sadly. "I was hoping to meet her. But at least I get to meet Peeta's beau!" he teases. "Well Peet, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Peeta blushes a dark red, "Wheet, this is my boyfriend Cato. Cato, my brother Wheet."

"Nice to finally meet the guy who was playing tonsil hockey with my baby brother on live television," teases Wheet. Both boys turn bright red. "Geez guys, I was just teasing. It's very nice to meet you Cato." Wheet turns to Peeta, "Peeta, it's really good to have you back with the rest of the family," he says sincerely.

"Speaking of family son, we have a lot to tell you," Fennel says taking Wheet's hand in his. "Do you remember the night you spent in the office with me?"

Wheet nods as Rie and Peeta both share a look of shock. No one ever spent the night in their dad's office except their dad. "It was the night that Peeta told everyone about our family. The night I fought with Mother." Wheet answers. "You told me about Peeta's twin, our dead sister." He looks down at his hand being held by his dad's hand.

"Yes, well it appears I was wrong. She's still alive!" Fennel says confusing Wheet.

"How could that be? Where is she? Are you messing with me?" Wheet fires off.

Fennel smiles, "It's a very long story involving baby switching, but your sister is in this room with us," he says pausing a moment to let it sink in. Wheet sees Peeta and Rie smiling widely as are Madge and Delly. He is even more confused.

Then he realizes it's either of the two girls. "So, it's Delly or Madge?" he asks.

"It's Delly son. But Madge is family too. She's your cousin!" Fennel says smiling at the girls.

"How is this all possible? You told me that she died. Not that I'm not glad to find out that she's still alive," he rushes out turning to Delly, "I am glad to know, just confused."

"I understand that Wheet. I'm still getting used to the idea myself," she tells him as she lays a hand on his other hand.

"The short version is that Haymitch was blackmailed into taking her and switching your sister with the Cartwright's real daughter," Fennel says anger lacing his voice.

"I see. And how can the Mayor's daughter be our cousin? I don't remember being related to the Undersee's," Wheet asks.

"That's because she isn't the Mayor's daughter," Fennel replies. "She's Haymitch and Maysilee's daughter."

"Wow!" is all Wheet can say for a moment before turning to Peeta. "Not only did you bring home a boyfriend, you bring home our sister and a cousin! What's next baby brother? Are you two going to adopt a baby and make me an uncle?" Peeta and Cato know he's teasing but still turn red.

"Now Wheet, leave them alone!" Fennel chastises. "They just got together. Give them a chance to be together before talking about children." He shakes his head, "Besides, I'm not ready for Peeta to make me a grandfather just yet."

Wheet nods. "Hey Peeta," he says seriously. "I just need you to know how sorry I am for not being a better brother to you. I should've stuck up for you. I should've protected you from Mother. I'm sorry baby brother."

Peeta lets go of Cato's hand and walks over to stand next to Wheet, "Thank you Wheet," he says holding his hand. "I forgive you." Peeta gives him a smile before scowling. "Just stop calling me 'baby brother'. I may be younger than you but I'm no baby."

Everyone laughs as Peeta goes back to stand next to Cato taking his hand again. Cato whispers in Peeta's ear, "You're my 'baby'," as Wheet asks Rie about the 'fancy' chair. Peeta smirks at Cato as Rie tells him about the buildings crumbling and the rescue.

There's a knock on the door and Gale and Katniss walk in. "How you feeling Wheet?" asks Gale.

"Much better, thanks for asking," he replies. "Where are the others? I want to meet them all."

"I'll send them in and let you kids visit for a few more minutes," Fennel says walking to the door. "Wheet will need to rest." He walks out the door turning to the other three tributes, "My son would like to meet you. Please feel free to go on in."

As Marvel, Clove, and Foxface head into the room nervously Fennel signals to Lily and Hazel that he'd like a moment with them. They walk a few steps away keeping the 4 younger kids in eyesight.

"What's going on Fennel?" asks Hazel.

"Is everything okay?" asks Lily.

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to share what Haymitch told us." Fennel says looking at the two women who had now become his friends as well as confidants since the games started. "I don't know exactly where to start. It's a long story," he admits quietly.

"Give us the short version first. We can get the details later," Hazel tells him.

Fennel smiles a happy smile that Lily admits to herself she hasn't seen in a long time. "My family grew by two today. I got my daughter back and I have a niece!" he grins before continuing - not giving the women a chance to talk. "Apparently Haymitch was blackmailed into baby switching my daughter for the Cartwright baby and his own daughter for the Undersee's daughter by another Victor."

"I'm not sure what to say Fennel," admits Lily. "How could he do that to your family?"

"Where is that man? I want to wring his neck!" exclaims Hazel at the same time. She calms down enough to ask calmly, "So, Delly is your daughter and Madge is your niece?"

"I told him to go away for now, his excuse was being a drunk at the time. I am still very angry about everything but my kids need me to remain calm for now. And, yes, Delly is Peeta's twin and Madge is my niece." Fennel answers.

"Are you sure? I mean do you have proof?" asks Lily.

Fennel pulls the papers he received out of his back pocket and hands them to Lily. As she looks them over, Hazel reads over her shoulder. "These tests were run in a lab here in 13," Lily says shocked.

"That's quite a confession from that Seeder woman," adds Hazel. "I don't understand why they did it though."

"According to Haymitch it was to protect the sanity of the other women involved. Not much of an excuse but that's his story." Fennel shrugs. They are interrupted by Mitchell and Boggs.

"Sorry to interrupt folks," Mitchell says. "The president thought that you and the kids might be hungry after a long day. She has ordered the kitchen to fix you all something to eat. The families of all the tributes are invited."

"Thank you," replies Fennel. "I'll get the kids from Wheet's room. I'll be just a moment." He turns and goes back into the room he left earlier. He sees them all getting along. "Alright kids, we've been invited to eat. Everyone's families will be there. Wheet, we'll see you in the morning," he tells them. He walks out and the tributes follow, Delly pushing Rie.

Mitchell takes the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's first. As the rest wait for the elevator to return, Cato sees Finnick down the hallway. "Peeta, Finnick's down there and he looks upset. Should we go see him real quick to make sure he's okay?"

Peeta looks up at Cato not sure what to do. "Are you sure? I mean we don't need to."

Before Cato can respond they hear a woman's scream. They look down towards Finnick and see him looking panicked. "He looks like he might need a friendly face." Cato says.

Boggs overhears the conversation and goes over to the couple, "When you get in the elevator, push the level 20 button. That's the floor the dining hall is on. When you get out, walk straight ahead to the double doors."

"Thanks Boggs," Peeta tells him. "We'll be there soon." The two boys walk over to Finnick.

"Hey Finn, what's going on?" Peeta asks.

Finnick looks up at the two boys a small smile on his face. "Hey Peeta, Cato. Annie's in labor. The baby will be here any moment. They won't let me in there with her."

"We can wait with you for a little while," Cato offers shocking the other two.

"That would be nice Cato. Thank you." Finnick says happy to have the company, even if it is with the guy who took his Peeta from him. Besides, they were going to have to get along once training for the war began.

Peeta and Cato sit down next to Finnick. There's a little tension in the air. After about 10 minutes of silence, a nurse walks out of the room with a small bundle in her arms. "Mr. Odair?" she asks. Finnick stands and she places the bundle in his arms. "Your son," she says. He looks down at the infant and a wide smile graces his face as he turns to the two boys, "My son," he says in awe.

Peeta and Cato stand and look at the baby. "He's cute," Peeta says checking out the infant.

"He really is," adds Cato, his arm wrapping around Peeta's waist.

"Thank you both for waiting with me," Finnick says, eyes not leaving his son. "I'm going to go check on Annie now." He turns and the nurse leads him back into the room.

Peeta and Cato go to the elevator and head down to the dining hall. Neither says a word as Peeta leans against Cato, the day beginning to take its toll on the younger boy. All Peeta really wants is to go to sleep wrapped in Cato's arms. As they get off the elevator, Cato sees his parents ahead. "Mom? Dad? Is everything okay?" Cato asks worriedly. The two boys walk quickly over. Cato's father was a little taller than Cato, same muscular build, with aquamarine blue eyes and dark blonde hair in a military style haircut. Next to him was a tall woman whose eyes and hair matched Cato's colors exactly.

Cato's mother smiles at her son, "Yes dear, everything is fine. Your father and I just wanted to wait for you and Peeta to make sure you found your way okay."

"Oh, okay," Cato smiles. "Mom, dad, this is Peeta. Peeta these are my parents, Maximilian and Ceteria Canelos."

Peeta shakes Mr. Canelos' hand before being wrapped into a hug by Mrs. Canelos. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," Peeta says when he steps back to Cato.

"The pleasure's all ours Peeta dear," Cato's mother says. "We never thought Cato would meet a nice young man such as you." Peeta blushes at the complement.

Just then the door to the dining hall opens and Fennel steps out. "Oh good, you boys made it. We're waiting for you."

"Hey dad," Peeta says. "Oh dad, these are Cato's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Canelos. Mr. and Mrs. Canelos, this is my father Fennel Mellark."

The three adults shake hands before the five of them head inside the dining hall. They watch as Boggs, Mitchell, Jackson, Leeg 1, and Leeg 2 rearrange the tables into one long table for all the families to sit at. Plates of bread, meats, cheese, and fruit are set on the table as people begin to make their way to the table. The seating around the table goes as follows: Rie (18) at the head of the table. To his right (and going around the table), Delly (17), Fennel, Cato (18), Peeta (17), Posy (6), Vick (10), Hazel, Rory (13), Gale (18), Katniss (17), Lily, Prim (13), Madge (17), Chloe (Foxface's mother), Foxface (18) is at the end opposite Rie, Owen (Foxface's father), Tavin (17, Marvel's brother), Ambrose (Marvel's father), Giselle (Marvel's mother), Marvel (18), Clove (17), Caleb (5, Clove's brother, Caspar's twin), Cresentia (Clove's step mother), Gable (Clove's father), Caspar (5, Clove's brother, Caleb's twin), Cleo (9, Cato's sister), Gaius (13, Cato's brother), Ceteria (Cato's mother), and to Rie's left Maximilian (Cato's father). Foxface found out her older brother Oliver, his wife Amelia, and their 1 year old son Noah had gone to their room for the night. Little Noah was just getting over a cold.

As most of the tributes ate on the hovercraft, they talked about what they experienced from their reapings to arriving in the tribute tower to arriving in District 13. Cato and Peeta were eating and thus fairly quiet, sharing smiles and eye rolls. Once everyone had eaten, the younger kids went off to play at another table while the tributes and their parents moved closer together to talk.

"So, why don't we adults all introduce ourselves, tell who our tributes are, and tell each other our occupations?" suggests Ceteria. "I'll go first. My name is Ceteria Canelos, my son is Cato, and I'm a secretary at the Academy."

"My name is Maximilian Canelos, my son is Cato, and I'm a trainer 3 days a week at the Academy for tributes and 3 days at the Peacekeeper Academy."

"My name is Gable Felder, Clove is my daughter, and I run a company that makes knives and swords." Gable is a tall, thin man with dark brown hair, blue eyes.

"My name is Cresentia Felder, Clove is my step daughter, and I am in charge of exporting the weapons my husband's company makes." Cresentia is a tall woman with dark blonde hair and hazel eyes.

"My name is Giselle Wright, my son is Marvel, and I'm a home interior decorator." Giselle is tall with light brown hair, green eyes.

"My name is Ambrose Wright, Marvel is my son, and I own a jewelry store." Ambrose is a tall, muscular man with curly brown hair and dark green eyes.

"My name is Owen Powers, my daughter is Camille, uh Foxface and I work in the power plant." Owen has red hair and green eyes, pale complexion.

"My name is Chloe Powers, my daughter is Camille, and I also work in the power plant." Chloe has red hair, light green eyes, and a pale complexion covered with freckles.

"My name is Lily Everdeen, my daughter is Katniss, and I'm a healer."

"My name is Hazel Hawthorne, my son is Gale, and I'm a laundress."

"My name is Fennel Mellark, my sons are Rie and Peeta, my daughter is Delly, and I own a bakery. Or I did before the Capitol bombed District 12."

"I'm sorry Fennel, did you just say Delly was your daughter?" asks Ceteria.

"District 12 was bombed? When?" asks Gable Felder and Giselle Wright at the same time.

"Yes Ceteria, Delly is Peeta's twin sister. We just found out earlier. It's a very long story for another time." Fennel answers. He turns towards Gable and Giselle, "District 12 was bombed right after the kids were picked up from the arena. My oldest son Wheet is in the hospital here being treated for burns from one of the bombs exploding."

"Why would the Capitol bomb 12?" asks Owen Powers.

"I can answer that," a new voice says. All heads turn to the new voice. Standing just inside the door is a woman in her 50's, with pale gray eyes and shoulder length gray hair. "My name is Alma Coin, the president of District 13. I welcome you all. As to why the Capitol bombed District 12, well that would be because of Peeta Mellark."

"What did I do?" asks Peeta freaking out. Cato pulls him closer to his side, rubbing his hand on his shoulder, trying to keep Peeta calm.

"Due to your story about your abuse, your dead sister, and your relationship with Mr. Canelos, you became a fan favorite beyond the scope of Mr. Finnick Odair. When we rescued you, let's just say President Snow took it very hard. He didn't want you to have anything to return home to. At least that's the leading theory." She tells Peeta. "But that wasn't the reason I came down here." She signals to Boggs who pushes a button on the wall causing a large screen to drop down at the end of the room.

As that is going on, the younger kids rejoin their families, Posy crawling into Peeta's lap. The rescued mentors and Capitol rebels enter the dining room as well. When everyone is settled Coin continues, "This footage I'm about to show you was just received." As the image flickers on the screen, it shows the stage where Caesar did the interviews. But instead of seats, there was a podium center stage. Walking towards the podium is President Snow. Behind him, following him to the stage are the remaining 9 living tributes – a district 1 female, district 2 male Leonitus Dante, 2 district 3 males, a district 4 female, a district 5 male, a district 7 female, and 2 district 10 males! The president began to speak.

"Hello citizens of Panem. Today a group of rebels from District 12 stole a Capitol hovercraft, destroyed the arena, and taken several of the tributes and their mentors. To show these rebels from 12 that their actions have consequences, I have destroyed their district and their homes. To better protect our citizens, I am increasing peacekeeper presence in the remaining 11 districts. There will be new rules for all citizens to follow. First, a curfew will be in effect. Any citizen out after sundown, without the proper paperwork will be killed immediately. Next, there will be no large gatherings permitted without express written consent from the head peacekeeper. Finally, anyone caught harboring the missing tributes and mentors will also be terminated. We must not let these rebels destroy our great country."

The screen went black and everyone turned to President Coin expectantly.

"We have word that three of the tributes on that stage have joined up with Snow. The others are being held for now, their fates unknown." The look on her face lets everyone know that that is the end of that subject for now. "Tomorrow morning the rescued tributes will report to the hospital for a final check-up. The younger children will be taken down to the school to meet their teachers and other students. As for you adults, you will meet with me to discuss what your roles will be while living here in 13. Boggs, Mitchell, and Jackson will meet you all here after breakfast. Boggs will bring the adults to me, Jackson will take the children to the school, and Mitchell will take the teens to see Dr. Aurelius. I will leave you now in the capable hands of Boggs. Good night." She turns and leaves the dining room.

Boggs, who had been standing against the wall, walks up to the table, "Your rooms have been prepared for you. The families will be staying on the family floor while the tributes will be staying on the recruit floor. You have 5 minutes to say good night. Tributes, you will follow me, the rest of you will go with Mitchell."

Cato looks over at Peeta. Posy was nearly asleep on his lap, twirling a strand on his blonde curls in her fingers. Peeta feels Cato's eyes on him smiles up Cato, "She likes to play with my hair when she goes to sleep."

"It's cute. You're good with her." Cato compliments him.

"She was a baby when I moved in. I've seen her first tooth, her first steps, and heard her first word. Plus it doesn't hurt that she is as sweet as she is." Peeta tells him.

"Brother Peeta?" Posy asks sleepily from his lap. "Are we going to get to paint together again now that you're back?"

Peeta looks down at the little girl in his lap, "I would love to paint with you again. We'll do it soon."

Posy looks up shyly at Cato, "Are you going to paint with us too Cato?"

Cato shocked that the little girl is speaking to him, answers, "I don't know how to paint Posy."

"Brother Peeta can teach you. He taught me," she tells Cato sleepily. "He's really good. I'm glad he's back here with us."

Peeta kisses her on the top of her head as Cato tells her, "Me too Posy, me too."

Hazel walks over and smiles, "I'll take her now Peeta. She's had a long day." She takes Posy into her arms. "We'll see you in the morning. Good night boys."

"Good night," Peeta and Cato reply. They go over to say good night to their parents before they leave with Mitchell.

Cato wraps his arms around Peeta as they wait for Boggs to lead them down to their rooms. Peeta leans into Cato, wishing they were in their room already. It has been a very long day. They swam, lost Thresh, had a confrontation with Leonitus, lost Rue during their rescue, found out his district was bombed - killing his bitch of a mother, dealt with the Finnick problem, found out Delly is his long lost (thought dead) sister, learned that Madge is his cousin, Wheet is alive and wants to try again, saw Finnick's son, and met Cato's parents. Peeta was definitely ready for this day to end.

Boggs leads them to the elevator, again a tight fit with Rie's chair. Boggs informs them that their parents are located on level 23 and they'll be on level 25. As they file out, Boggs opens a door on the left, "Soldiers Everdeen and Cartwright, this is your room." He crosses the hall, "Soldiers Rie Mellark and Wright, this is your room." Boggs walks to the next set of doors, opening the one on the left first, "Soldiers Undersee and Powers, this is your room." He crosses the hall, winking at Peeta and Cato, "Soldiers Canelos and Peeta Mellark, this is your room." He walks to the next set of doors, "Soldier Felder, this is your room. You will bunk with Soldier Mason." He crosses the hall, opening the door, "Soldier Hawthorne, this is your room. If Wheet Mellark takes the pledge, he will bunk with you." He turns to head back to the elevator. "Breakfast starts at 0730. See you there." When he's gone, the teens all wish each other good night and head into their rooms.

Cato and Peeta walk into their room and turn on the lights. To their immediate left are two desks with chairs. In front of them are 2 beds with dressers at the foot of each bed and a nightstand next to the bed. Each nightstand has an alarm clock. On the beds are the backpacks they had worn in the games. Located between the two nightstands is a door. Both boys walk over to the door and find a bathroom.

"I call dibs," Cato says heading in. Peeta cracks a smile and goes over to the bed with his backpack on it and sits down. He opens the bag and finds the pocket watch and Glimmer's token sitting on top. He had forgotten about these items. He sets both items on the nightstand and continues going through the bag. Folded inside are his wet suit, the clothes he wore underneath, and the clothes he had been wearing earlier. At the bottom of the bag was a note telling him his clothes were cleaned, his weapons were taken to the weapon room, the food to the kitchen, and medical supplies to the hospital. He took the clean clothes over to the dresser at the foot of his bed and put them in the bottom drawer as it was the only one that was empty. The other drawers contained underwear, socks, t-shirts, pajama pants, and cargo pants. As he was putting the backpack under the bed, he noticed two pairs of combat boots and the water boots that he wore in the arena under there as well. He stands up as Cato comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips, hair damp.

"There are clean clothes in the dresser," Peeta tells him, pointing towards it, his eyes taking in the sight of Cato's body.

Cato leans against the door frame, crossing his arms across his chest, "Like what you see?" he teases.

Peeta can feel the blush on his cheeks before replying, "Maybe."

Cato stands up straight, walks over to Peeta, and whispers, "Go take a shower. It'll make you feel better."

Peeta smiles at Cato thinking how he always seems to know what Peeta needs. Peeta grabs some clean clothes and heads into the bathroom.

Cato puts on clean underwear and pajama pants before taking his backpack and throwing on one of the desks for now. He gets on his bed and leans against the headboard to wait for Peeta. He knows today has been a long day for Peeta. He looks at the alarm clock on his nightstand and sees it's nearly midnight. He sets the alarm for 7 am.

Peeta comes out of the bathroom and sees Cato sitting on his bed. He bites his bottom lip before asking Cato, "Can I sleep in your bed with you tonight?"

Cato looks up at Peeta, "Of course," he replies standing up. "Would you get the lights?" he asks, pulling down the covers before climbing in and making room for Peeta. Peeta climbs in the bed, laying his head on Cato's shoulder. They both fall into an uneasy sleep.

Cato is awoken to what sounds like rain. He reaches over for Peeta only to realize that the boy is not next to him. He opens his eyes and looks over to Peeta's bed. It's empty. He looks at the clock, seeing it's 6 in the morning. He then realizes the sound he thought was rain is actually the shower. Cato jumps out of the bed and goes to the bathroom door, knocking gently. He begins to worry when he gets no answer. He reaches for the door knob and when he realizes it's unlocked, opens the door. He sees Peeta sitting on the floor of the shower in his bedclothes, soaked. Cato grabs a towel off the shelf before turning off the water. As he wraps the towel around Peeta's shoulders, he can hear the younger boy crying.

"Peeta, what's wrong?" he asks as he begins to dry his hair.

Peeta looks up at him with bloodshot eyes, "I had a nightmare." Cato lowers the towel to listen. "I dreamt that I was back in the arena all alone. The jabber jays show up and there are thousands of them. The- the screams were of all of you - you, Katniss, Rue - everyone. I ran, they followed. I kept running until I saw what I thought was pile of logs. B-b-but as I got cl-closer I realized it wasn't logs." Tears flow down Peeta's cheeks as he turns his head to stare at the wall.

Cato waits but Peeta doesn't continue. "What did you see Peeta?" he asks finally, encouraging Peeta to continue.

"It was my family, my friends, and -" Peeta stops talking. He looks up at Cato, his eyes wide and scared. "You were there. On top of the pile." Peeta starts crying again.

Cato wraps his arms around Peeta, "Shh, I'm right here, alive and well."

"Yes, but I killed you." Peeta's voice is muffled but Cato hears him anyway. Peeta pulls away, "I killed you with my sword. It was still in your chest. But that's not the worst part."

"Tell me the worst part then," Cato says quietly.

"Snow and Leonitus showed up. Leonitus was carrying a bundle. He handed it to me telling me it was to be 'our' son. I looked at the baby and it was Finnick and Annie's son! That's when I realized they were dead somewhere underneath you. Then Snow took the infant from me before telling me that I had to get ready for my wedding. I asked who I was marrying since you were dead. He said that since Leonitus and I were the only two tributes left, I was to marry him. I was to be his prize for stopping the rebellion. I tried to fight it but Snow threatened to harm the baby. Then Leonitus came over to me and began kissing me, pulling at my clothes. That's when I woke up." Peeta leans against Cato, beginning to shiver. "It was too horrible. I could still feel his hands on me. I had to wash the feeling off. And I didn't want to wake you up either."

Cato turns Peeta's face to look him in the eye, "Please don't ever be afraid to wake me up. I want you to wake me. Now, let's get you out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold." He stands up before helping Peeta to stand. Cato grabs another dry towel, throwing it over his shoulder before asking; "Shall we take those off?" indicating to Peeta's wet pants. Peeta nods and, never taking his eyes from Cato's, pushes his wet clothes down his legs. Cato, still looking into Peeta's eyes, takes the towel from his shoulder and wraps it around Peeta's waist. Peeta leans in and gives Cato a quick kiss.

But the quick kiss wasn't enough for either boy and soon they were wrapped in each other's arms, their tongues sparring hands roaming on bare skin.

Without breaking their kiss, they manage to make their way back next to Cato's bed. Peeta pulls away from Cato's lips, eyes on Cato's icy blue orbs, grabs the towel around his hips, and pulls it off dropping it on the floor. His eyes never leaving Cato's, Peeta put his hands on the elastic band of Cato's pants. Cato's breathing hitches in his throat before he whispers, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Peeta says softly.

"Do it," Cato whispers gesturing to his pants.

Peeta slowly pushes the pajama bottoms and underwear down until gravity could take over. He then manages to get on the bed without breaking eye contact with Cato. Cato quickly follows, stepping out of his clothes. Kneeling on the bed, facing each other, Peeta lifts his hands to Cato's chest feeling the soft skin, hardened muscles. Cato raises a hand, slips it up Peeta's arm, across his shoulder, until he wraps it around the back of Peeta's neck, gently pulling the younger boy's head closer until their lips meet again. His other hand finding Peeta's, squeezing it before sliding around to Peeta's back. As the kiss becomes more passionate, Cato guides Peeta to lay his head on the pillow. Once Peeta's lying down, Cato's lips leave Peeta's as they find their way across his cheek, down his jaw, down to his neck, biting and nibbling when he hears Peeta moan. Neither was aware of when Peeta spread his legs nor when Cato positioned himself there. Peeta's hands slide from the bed up Cato's arms to his shoulders, up to his hair as Cato begins to kiss his way down Peeta's body. The feeling of Cato's hand on his hip causes Peeta to look down his body at the older boy.

As he slides his hand closer to Peeta's now throbbing cock, Cato looks up to see Peeta biting his bottom lip and nodding slightly. Cato wraps his fingers around Peeta's cock, eliciting a moan from the younger boy. Cato pulls his eyes from Peeta's and begins to stroke the younger boy. He then wraps his lips around just the head of Peeta's shaft, licking the tip, teasing as only he knew how.

"Please," comes the breathy whisper from Peeta's lips.

Cato smiles before taking the entire length into his mouth, slowly bobbing his head. Every time he came up, he'd flick the tip of his tongue on the sensitive spot on the back side of the head. He slowly began to pick up the pace; Peeta's moans encouraging and spurring him on.

Peeta knows he won't be able to hang on much longer. Whatever Cato was doing with his tongue was driving him crazy. He had never felt anything like it before. "Cato, please, I can't hold back anymore."

Cato stops long enough to say, "Let go for me."

Moments later, back arched, Peeta lets go exploding in Cato's mouth, "Ah, fuck!" he exclaims.

Cato swallows every drop, licking his lips before coming up to lay by Peeta. "Feel better?" he asks kissing Peeta's shoulder.

"Not quite," Peeta teases before leaning over the older boy. He begins kissing his way down Cato's body the same way Cato had done for him earlier. He only stops at Cato's nipples long enough to tease them with his tongue before working his way down to Cato's manhood. He grasps the older boy's cock, gently squeezing and pumping his hand before wrapping his lips around it and taking him into his mouth deeply. He tries the same tongue flicking technique Cato used. The moans that came from Cato only encourage Peeta more. After a few more moments, Peeta stops, looks Cato in the eye, and tells him, "I want more. I want to feel you inside me."

Cato doesn't need to be asked twice. He flips Peeta on his back. Peeta grabs Cato's hand and begins to suck on his fingers. When they've been thoroughly soaked, Cato places one finger at Peeta's entrance gently pushing it in. He quickly adds a second finger when he feels the tension ease. Before long, Cato adds the third finger. He slowly pumps his fingers until Peeta's voice stops him.

"Now Cato, please." Peeta begged. "I need it."

Cato doesn't hesitate. He spits in his hand, slickens himself, and begins to enter. He slides in and, while waiting for Peeta to adjust, leans down to kiss him. Peeta moves his hips in a signal not wanting to break the kiss. Cato moves his hips slowly, enjoying the feeling of Peeta's walls wrapped around him. Under him, he can feel Peeta getting hard again. He raises himself to look down at Peeta, lust in his eyes.

"Faster," Peeta pleads, the lust reflecting in his eyes.

Cato begins to move faster, ramming in a little harder.

"Oh my God Peeta, you feel so tight!" Cato exclaims. It was then that he hit the spot in Peeta causing the younger boy to arch his back with a guttural moan of the older boy's name, "C-Cato."

It was all the encouragement Cato needed. He began to pound the blonde beneath him, hitting the spot repeatedly causing Peeta to grasp the sheets beneath him tightly.

"Don't stop Cato," begged Peeta loudly.

When Cato knew he was close to his own release, he grasped Peeta's hard cock and began pumping it in rhythm of his own thrusts.

"I'm going to," Peeta tells Cato, back arched.

"Do it baby, cum for me," Cato pants, barely able to hold back himself. Peeta shoots his load over his chest, abs, and Cato's hand. Feeling Peeta's walls squeezing him, Cato releases his own load.

Cato pulls himself out slowly before lying next to Peeta. Both are panting still. When he's breathing at a normal pace, Cato rolls to his side, propping himself on his elbow and asks, "Care to join me in the shower?" He glances at the clock, "Breakfast is in about 45 minutes."

Peeta smirks before replying, "Race ya," as he jumps off the bed and rushes into the bathroom, turning on the water.

"No fair!" Cato exclaims as he follows the other blonde into the bathroom. "You cheated," he accuses as he grabs Peeta from behind causing the younger boy to laugh.

Peeta turns in Cato's arms and kisses his chin, "No, I just made sure I had a head start."

"So, what does my little winner want as his prize?" Cato asks as he pulls Peeta into the shower.

"I don't know," Peeta says thoughtfully. "Let me think about it?" he asks.

"Anything you want," Cato says as he sticks his head under the water. He moves under the shower head, pulling Peeta with him so he could wet his hair. They wash and rinse their own hair before taking turns lathering each other's body, enjoying the sensation of each other's hands exploring. When they're all rinsed off, Cato turns off the water as Peeta gets them towels. They dry off and wrap the towels around their waists before going into the room to get dressed. They dress quickly and put on their boots.

Cato can't help but notice that Peeta seems more like the Peeta he met in the training center. He's smiling and not as tense.

Peeta walks over to Cato, wrapping his arms around the taller boy's waist, resting his head on Cato's chest. "I am so glad you're here with me," Peeta tells Cato.

"Me too," replies Cato, wrapping his arms around Peeta. "We still have time before breakfast. We can talk if you want to." Cato worries he may have caused Peeta to withdraw inside himself again when he doesn't respond right away.

"I'd like that," Peeta finally says pulling away from Cato. He grabs his hand and pulls Cato to his bed. They both sit. "Where should I start?" Peeta asks looking up at Cato.

Cato thinks for a moment, "Why don't we start with Glimmer's death?"

Peeta grabs the necklace off the nightstand, "Her family gave this to me," he tells Cato, opening it to show Cato the pictures inside. "I feel guilty that she sacrificed her life for me." Peeta says softly as he looks at the smiling faces of Glimmer's family. "I don't understand why she took that trident for me. I'm glad I'm alive, but she didn't deserve to die for me." He closes the locket, holding it tightly in his hand. "She told me once that the only reason she agreed to join the rebellion was to stop the games. She didn't want her siblings going into the arena." Peeta can feel the tears welling in his eyes, "Her last words to me were 'Take out that son of a bitch for me. Take care of Marvel. He is good at what he does but tends to get cocky'. She put Snow's death and Marvel's life in my hands. What if I can't save Marvel? What happens if we fail in this rebellion and Snow lives?" Peeta asks laying his head on Cato's shoulder. "I don't know if I can handle that." He says quietly.

Cato puts his arm around Peeta's shoulder, "What if you didn't have to do it alone? I'm here. So are the rest of the tributes as well as the rebel forces we'll be training with. You're not going to be alone in this Peeta." He lifts Peeta's chin to look him in the eye, "I think Glimmer was letting you know she had faith and trust in you. That's what her last words meant." He gives Peeta a quick kiss, "I have faith in you too, you know. We'll win this war. We'll do it for those we lost – Glimmer, Thresh, and Rue."

Peeta looks into the eyes of his lover and sees the truth of what he said, "I believe you," he says. "Thank you Cato."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm just telling you what you already know," Cato tells him. "You had a lot happen in the arena. We all did. You haven't had the chance to deal with everything yet. Then we got here and more was added to it. I'm here for you. You just need to tell me what you're thinking and feeling."

Before Peeta can reply, there's a knock at the door. Cato goes and opens it. On the other side was the rest of the group.

"We thought we'd head to breakfast now. You two ready?" asks Clove.

"Just tell Peeta Bread to shake a leg. I'm hungry," says Johanna.

Peeta smiles and goes over to the door to stand by Cato taking his hand, "Guess we should go now. We can finish this later tonight if you want," he says referring to their talk.

Cato squeezes Peeta's hand, "Let's go then." They walk out and join the others.

They climb into the elevator, Johanna sitting on Rie's lap so they all fit in. They arrive on the 20th floor and head to the dining room. Johanna quickly grabs her breakfast and joins Finnick at a small table. The rest get their meals and join their families at the long table that they sat at the night before. Everyone is in good spirits, even with the parents telling embarrassing stories about their children. Boggs, Mitchell, and Jackson show up as everyone finishes. Jackson takes the younger kids to meet the other children and their teachers. Boggs takes the adults to go see President Coin for their assignments. Mitchell takes the teens to see Dr. Aurelius. Tavin, Marvel's younger brother, is to be checked out by Dr. Aurelius and will join the others in training.

In the hospital wing, the tributes are joined by the mentors, including Haymitch who stays back away from the group. When Peeta first sees him, he can feel the anger bubbling up. Cato can feel the anger radiating from the other blonde. He pulls Peeta into his arms before leaning down to whisper in his ear, "I know what he did was a horrific thing to do. Getting angry at him isn't going to help. Maybe you and I can talk to him privately if you'd like. Get some of your questions answered." Peeta's arms go around Cato as he speaks. His only reply to Cato is the nod of his head.

Soon Dr. Aurelius begins his check-ups. He starts with the girls first. Due to her injuries, Madge is put on light duty for one week, when she will be re-checked. Wheet shows up as Dr. Aurelius begins with the males. Rie goes into the room in his chair, but comes out on his own two feet, limping slightly. He tells the others that, like Madge, he's on light duty for now. Wheet goes in and when he comes out, admits he's on light duty as well as his burns are not quite totally healed. Peeta gets a clean bill of health. Cato goes in. Dr. Aurelius asks about his headache and Cato admits that his head ache is still there. Dr. Aurelius gives him a stronger medication and decides not to put him on light duty at this time. If his head ache doesn't get better in the next week, he is to report back. As Cato joins the others, Mitchell returns to take them to lunch and inform them that after lunch, they'll be meeting Coin.

At lunch, Posy climbs up on Peeta's lap and asks Peeta and Cato to come to the Hawthorne family's room later. Both boys agree when they see the joy on her face when she sees them. Then she does something that shocks everyone, she climbs from Peeta's lap to Cato's lap and gives him a hug, "Thank you Cato!" she says.

Cato hugs the small girl back asking, "What are you thanking me for little one?"

"For taking care of my Peeta and coming to see me later," she replies sweetly before climbing off Cato's lap to eat her lunch.

When lunch was over, the tributes and their brothers are gathered together to await Mitchell. Boggs shows up instead and takes them to a meeting room where the mentors are already waiting. Boggs gestures for the teens to sit as he walks to the front of the room to await President Coin's arrival. She shows up with Mitchell, Jackson, Plutarch, Portia and Cinna.

"Welcome to all of you," says Coin. "We'll start by getting the oaths of Tavin Wright and Wheet Mellark." Five minutes later, the meeting turns serious. "We have a lot to do and I don't want to waste time. First, our newest soldiers will go to the gun range tomorrow and be sorted. There will be two teams – ground troop squad and sharp shooter squad. Those of you that make the sharp shooter squad will get one week of training before you go on your first mission. The rest of you will go through intensive training." She gestures to those behind her. "Boggs will be the leader of the sharp shooter squad and Mitchell the ground troop. On top of your training, those of you we rescued will be filming propo's in your free time with Plutarch. Cinna and Portia have designed special combat outfits for each squad as well as your propo outfits. Jackson is the liaison between the two groups and will go on missions with whichever group is going out. In the event that both squads go, she will go with the larger squad." She stops speaking when Cressida enters the room and whispers in her ear. When Cressida finishes, Coin turns to Boggs who turns on the TV behind him. On the screen is Snow. To his left, dressed in brand new peacekeeper outfits, are Leonitus and Districts one and four females. Behind them are the six remaining tributes from the arena. They're on their knees, blindfolded.

"Citizens of Panem, the six tributes behind me refused to stand up with us to protect our great country. If they aren't with us, they're with the rebels. We will _not_ tolerate this type of disobedience! Peacekeepers, to the stage!" he calls. Six peacekeepers march up on stage and line up behind the tributes. As Snow waits for the peacekeepers to take their positions, he continues, "Brie Valletta from District 1, Leonitus Dante from district 2, and Ariel Shoal from District 4 have agreed to join the fight and will help us hunt down the rebel tributes including Peeta Mellark, Cato Canelos, and Madge Undersee." Snow glances behind him and sees his peacekeepers are in place. "Let the execution begin. Ready! Aim! Fire!"

The six remaining tributes are killed on live television, shot in the back of their heads.

Just before the TV screen goes black, they hear President Snow say, "Let this be a warning to the rebels. We will find you. We will kill you."

Everyone in the room was silent.

**So, there we are. I hope the sex scene between Cato and Peeta was good. I've never written a scene like that for others to read. Please, if there is anything wrong with it, let me know. Or if you liked it, I'd love to know as well. And again, I'm really sorry for delay in updating.**


	15. Chapter 15: Missing

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello friends old and new! I apologize for not having this up sooner. My internet was off for a couple days and I was unable to post.**

_**Rolyn: **_**I decided to use your slogan idea and adjusted my story for it! The Mellark's have a small family moment with Delly in this chapter. More to come in the future as well.**

_**yuntani:**_** Thank you, now that the holidays are over, I hope to be able to update more often. Unless the internet malfunctions again. I know it took a long time for the 'hotties' to finally hit it and I'm thrilled you liked it!**

_**movetotherhythm:**_** I honestly felt bad making everyone wait. I'm happy that so many people liked the chapter. The whole story really. I only wanted to introduce the families for now. Some members will be taking on larger roles later in the story. I'm happy with Fennel and Wheet as well. I didn't like how Peeta lost his family in the original story. I may be overcompensating for that in my story lol. As for the sex scene, I was nervous about it. It's one thing to write scenes like that, it's a whole new experience to write for others to read.**

_**MangoMagic:**_** Aww, I missed you all too! The families will have more to do later in the story – smaller roles. I can't say right now if we'll lose more of our large group. I'm glad the live execution was shocking. It was in my head since the tributes were in the arena the first day. Thank you for your compliment about my sex scene. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable writing it, more like I was afraid I had left something out. I wrote another story (for myself) that has Finnick, Marvel, and Cato in an AU liking Peeta during college and opening a club together. Since this one was so well received, I may clean up the typo's, etc. of the other story and post it. **

_**Mhardman: **_**Geez, I feel like I'm going to fry your poor brain lol! Yep, the families will have minor roles throughout the story. And hot sex scenes are always good ;)**

_**lincolnlog89:**_** The children that were executed – I had planned this since the first day in the arena. I knew it would be shocking. I just wasn't sure if any of our group was going to be involved. Cato is a dream guy lol. Peeta's dream was pretty bad and the "stress relief" flowed from there. The whole Posy playing with Peeta's hair scene is something my youngest nephew does when he goes to sleep. It's really kind of cute and I thought I'd put it in. Wheet, sweet Wheet, will find a new side of himself soon. **

Chapter 15 Missing

_When we left off, President Coin, the new soldiers, and the mentors had just watched the 6 remaining tributes from the arena get executed on live television._

**Back in the Meeting Room**

Delly turns to Coin and asks, "Madam President, does Snow know where we are? Does he know we're here in District 13?"

"No soldier Cartwright, at this time he does not know you are here," answers Coin. "Once we begin shooting and airing the propos, he will learn of it though. Of that you can be certain." She takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "In light of what we just witnessed, I'm going to give you the rest of the day off to explore. I sincerely hope you use this time and opportunity to learn where your training rooms are and to visit with your families. Beginning tomorrow, you will receive your schedules and you may not get this chance again for a while. You're dismissed." As they get up to leave, Coin speaks again, "Soldier Peeta Mellark and soldier Cato Canelos, would you mind staying back a moment." It wasn't a question.

The 2 boys sit back down and wait for the others to leave. As soon as the room cleared, she turns to Peeta, "Soldier Mellark, I believe this belongs to you." She goes over to a table and grabs the sketch book and pencils and hands them to him. "They were mistakenly taken to the art center. I took the liberty to look at your work. I must say I'm impressed with your work. I was hoping that you'd be willing to help me come up with a new slogan and poster for the war effort."

Peeta takes the book and pencils, shocked and embarrassed, before replying, "I'd be happy and honored Madam President. Thank you."

She nods at him before turning to Cato, "Soldier Canelos, your father has agreed to become an instructor for the hand-to-hand combat training for our younger trainees. He has asked that you be allowed to come help him as you did back home. I agreed, on one condition – you will have to make up any and all training you miss at the end of the day or on weekends during free time. Will you accept these terms?"

Cato looks up at Coin, "Yes Madam President, I accept. Thank you." He replies.

"Excellent. You two are free to go now." She says dismissively.

The boys walk out the door and are surprised to see who appear to be waiting for them. Delly, Rie, and Wheet turn to look at the couple as they walk towards them, hand in hand.

"Dad sent a message that he'd like us to join him in his room," Rie says.

"Cato's invited as well," Delly adds smiling.

Peeta looks up at Cato, who can see that the younger blonde was hoping they'd get some time alone to explore, among other things. Cato shrugs and says, "Why not? When we're done we can go see Posy, then go explore."

"Let's go see dad," Peeta says disgruntled, wishing Cato could've gotten them out of it.

Cato grabs Peeta's hand as they follow the others to the elevator. He leans down to whisper, "The sooner we do this the sooner we can be alone."

Peeta looks up at him amazed that he hadn't thought of that. He gives Cato a smile before kissing his cheek as the elevator doors open and they all get in.

Wheet and Rie lead the way to their dad's door, keeping Delly between them. They find the door located between the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's – which helps Cato and Peeta for later. Before either of the older brothers could knock on the door, Delly grabs their hands. They look down at her concerned. "What's the matter Dell's" asks Rie using her childhood nickname. "You know dad. You've even baked with us before. Why so nervous?"

"I know, but that was before I knew he was my father. What if I'm a disappointment to him?" she asks scared.

"How could you be a disappointment to him?" asks Wheet confused.

"I don't know," she admits. She turns to Peeta, "I remember Peeta and I pretending to be brother and sister. He would always laugh at us. You two," she indicates to Wheet and Rie, "would tease us terribly. But now we find out that it's really true. And I'm scared."

"You don't need to be scared Dell," Peeta tells her. "You've known us all your life. Nothing has really changed you know. Well, other than you really are a Mellark and we don't have to pretend anymore." He teases. She rolls her eyes at him.

"Just be thankful you didn't have to grow up with the witch," Rie adds. "The way she treated the rest of us, you're the lucky one."

Delly smiles before releasing Rie's hand and knocking on the door. Fennel opens the door and smiles brightly when he sees his kids. "Come in, come in," he says stepping back to let them enter. They find themselves in a large room with two full size couches, two desks with chairs, and a coffee table. At the back of the room are three doors.

"Please sit," Fennel says gesturing to the couches. Rie, Delly, and Wheet take one couch while Peeta and Cato take the other. Peeta puts his stuff down on the table in front of him. Fennel speaks first, "So, I got my job assignment today. I'm the new head baker."

"That's great news dad," Wheet says. "It's definitely something you're good at."

"Thanks son, but with the food shortages and dietary restrictions, I'm not –" begins Fennel.

"Wait, what dietary restrictions?" Rie asks before the others could.

"Well, due to the fact that there are limited resources, no food deliveries like the other districts, and the influx of new residents, there's a district wide dietary restriction," Fennel explains. "Although, now that you've all signed on to join the war, I don't think you will have much to worry about."

"I wonder if President Coin will allow me to go hunting to bring in fresh meat," Peeta says thoughtfully. He realizes it's been a while since he was last out in the real fresh air.

"I'm not sure I want you going out to hunt," Cato says to Peeta, worry lacing his voice. "And I definitely don't want you going out there alone."

"Cato, I've been hunting since I was 11 years old. And I've gone alone many times!" Peeta says exasperated.

"I think I agree with Cato son," Fennel says holding up a hand. "Hear me out, please. The forest out there isn't the forest you hunted in before. This isn't like District 12, you don't know what is out in that forest – what you'll run into."

Peeta rolls his eyes and folds his arms over his chest, sulking.

"Are you seriously pouting Peeta?" Delly asks incredulously. The others snicker. "I swear we outgrew that when we were like 5." She adds laughing.

"More like 'beat' out," Peeta mutters under his breath. Cato hears and takes a sharp breath in that attracts the attention of the others. Peeta scowls at him. No one notices the look.

"What's the matter Cato?" Rie asks worriedly.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, just my headache coming back." Cato lies.

"Do you need to go see Dr. Aurelius?" asks Delly.

"Nah, I'll be fine for now," Cato says brushing off their concern. "If it gets worse, I'll go see him. Besides, I've been invited to visit Miss Posy. I certainly don't want to miss that."

"Speaking of Posy, we should go over there soon," Peeta comments, still thinking about talking to Coin later that evening about going hunting.

"Before you all scatter like falling leaves, I think we need to discuss our situation," Fennel says. "Now that Delly is officially a part of this family, I want you boys to promise me that you'll keep your eye on her, keep her safe." Delly gives him a look. "Now Delly, don't look at me like that. I watched the games. I know that you can take care of yourself. I just, well I just found I got my daughter back. I just don't want to lose you again."

Delly smiles at Fennel. "I understand… Dad," she says causing Fennel grins broadly.

"Don't worry dad, I'll keep an eye on her," Rie says nudging her with his elbow.

"Me too," adds Wheet, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently. "Besides, I have 17 years of big brother teasing to catch up on!" he says winking at her causing Delly to blush.

"I'll do my part to dad. Although, I may be protecting her more from Wheet's teasing," Peeta says.

"If it's alright with all of you, I'm willing to help as well," Cato says. "I'm not her brother, but I'd like to be there to help if I can."

"Thank you Cato. You all have no idea how much better I feel knowing that she's being protected," Fennel says. "And Cato, you are a member of this family. I already told you that." Cato smiles at Fennel.

"Dad, what about Haymitch?" asks Rie. "I know what he did was wrong, but we got our sister back. With the war about to happen, maybe we should forgive him. He did do what he did under duress. He admitted to his wrongdoings."

"I've already decided to forgive him Rie," Fennel says thoughtfully. "If Peeta can forgive us for not being there for him when he needed us most and can still be a part of this family, than I'm going to follow his example. In fact, I'm having dinner with him, Hazel, and Lily tonight."

There's a knock on the door. Fennel goes and answers it. "Madge, please come in." they hear him say.

"Thank you Mr. Mell- uh, Uncle Fennel," Madge says as she walks in. "Oh, hi guys."

"Hi Madge," they all say in unison.

"What can I do for you Madge," Fennel asks as she takes a seat on the couch next to Cato.

"I was hoping that you could come with me to talk to my, my father. But it looks like I'm interrupting," she says looking down at her hands.

"Actually, Cato and I were just about to get ready to go next door and see Posy," Peeta tells her.

"And Rie, Delly, and I were going to check out the gardens and farms," Wheet adds.

"I guess that means I'm free to join you Madge. Would you like to go now?" Fennel asks.

"Now would be great," Madge says smiling nervously.

They all stand up to head out, Cato grabbing Peeta's art supplies. Peeta and Cato head next door as the others head for the elevator. "See ya later," Peeta says to his family.

"See ya Peet," Wheet replies as the others just wave.

Cato knocks on the Hawthorne door and Hazel answers it, "Hello boys, come in."

Posy sees the couple and runs up to them, throwing her arms around Peeta waist first. "Brother Peeta! You're here!" She turns to Cato, throwing her arms around him as well, "Hi Cato!"

"Hello Miss Posy, how are you today?" Cato asks making Posy giggle.

"I'm fine Cato. Guess what?! I got to meet Brother Gale's girlfriend earlier," she says pulling them towards the desks. "She's nice." She makes the boys sit down in the desk chairs before she climbs up into Peeta's lap. "Look what I found Brother Peeta," she says excitedly as she opens a desk draw that's between Peeta and Cato, revealing paper and crayons.

"Wow Posy, that's really cool," Peeta tells the little girl.

Posy turns towards Cato when she notices what he has in his lap, "What's that Cato?" she asks.

"This is Peeta's sketch book that he got in the games," Cato tells the little girl.

She looks up at Peeta, "Can I see it?"

Peeta smiles as Cato sets the book up on the desk in front of her. Posy opens the book gently and studies each picture carefully. Her little ohh's and ahh's making the boys smile. After looking at the drawing of the animals on the savannah, she turns to look up at Peeta, "Buttercup died," she says sadly. "Prim was really sad. Rory hugged her and made her smile. It was the same day someone threw a rock through our window and almost hit me, Vick, and Rory."

Peeta's shocked and turns to Hazel with wide eyes, "When did all this happen? What happened to Buttercup? Why would someone throw a rock at the kids?"

Hazel had been sitting on the couch, quietly watching. "It happened the day you all went into the arena. Someone killed Buttercup and left him for Prim to find. I had left to return some laundry, leaving Rory in charge. He took Vick and Posy to hide in the bathroom until I got home. Thom was looking into it for us, to see what he could find out."

"Uh, who's Buttercup? And why would someone throw a rock at children?" Cato asks confused.

"Buttercup was Prim's kitty," Posy tells him matter-of-factly.

"He was a gift of sorts. He didn't like Katniss much," Peeta adds. "As to why anyone would throw a rock, I don't know. It sounds like something someone from Town would do. The 'townies' don't much like people from the seam. My mother was the worst hater." The last sentence was spoken in a whisper.

Cato looks over at his boyfriend, seeing the shame on his face. He realizes that they really need to finish the talk that they had begun that morning. He thinks that Peeta seems to have a lot to get off his chest about his mother.

"Cato, look I drew a picture of you and Brother Peeta," she says pulling him out of his thoughts. The boys stay for about another half an hour with Posy laughing, drawing, and coloring before they decide to go.

"Aww, but you just got here," Posy pouts with her arms crossed over her chest causing Cato to look from her to Peeta before snickering behind his hand.

When he calms down, he tells Posy, "I know sweetie. It does seem like we just got here. But it's getting close to dinner time. Peeta and I need to go wash up and get ready. Plus, we need to take his stuff back to our room. But we'll see you there, okay?"

She still pouts as she gives both boys a hug and a kiss on their cheeks before leading them over to the door. "Bye. I'll see you later," she says as she waves from the door.

When they get to their room, Peeta puts his stuff down on the desk. Cato watches him closely, noticing he's tired. "Would you like to lie down for a while? They stop serving dinner in about 2 hours."

Peeta looks up at the older boy, smiling tiredly, "Yes, will you lay with me?"

"Always," Cato replies as he takes Peeta's hand and leads him to the bed. They both note their room is clean and beds made. They lay down, Peeta's head on Cato's chest, Cato running his fingers through Peeta's curly hair. Within 5 minutes, Cato realizes Peeta's sleeping. Less than 40 minutes later, Peeta awakens with a jolt. He relaxes when he feels Cato's arm tighten around him, "Are you okay?" Cato asks, his lips on the top of Peeta's head.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready to dinner now," he says tipping his head to look into Cato's eyes. Cato smiles before rolling off the bed, pulling a surprised Peeta with him. They head down to the dining hall where they see Wheet and the other former tributes sitting together. They quickly grab their food and join them. Marvel tells them about a gazebo in the garden on level 8, Clove tells them about the orchard on level nine, and Wheet tells them to avoid the livestock pens on level 10.

"So Peeta, I hear you wanna go hunting," Katniss says grinning.

"Yeah, I thought I'd go talk to Coin after dinner," he replies not seeing the twinkle in Katniss's eyes or the scowl on Cato's face.

"Well, don't bother," Katniss says nonchalantly.

Peeta gives her a strange look. "Why not?"

"Gale and I already talked to her," Katniss says casually before bouncing in her seat. "She said that while Cato was helping his dad, we could go."

"There were some stipulations Katniss," Gale reminds her.

"What kind of stipulations?" Cato asks curious.

"We get an hour _in the forest_ and we have to wear tracking bracelets when we go out," Gale tells him. "Oh and no more than three of us can go out at a time AND we cannot go out alone."

"Well, that's good news then," Cato says relieved. "Your dad will be glad to hear the rules," he says to Peeta.

Peeta bristles at the comment about his dad. He couldn't believe that his dad and boyfriend were against his going hunting in the first place. Well, maybe not against him hunting so much as him going alone.

The two boys finish eating and say good night to their friends. Cato takes Peeta over to say hello to his family before the head out to the garden on level step off the elevator and take a couple steps to a set of double doors. They walk in and breathlessly take in the view.

The large room is so grand that they can't see the side or back walls. To their left are acres of vegetable gardens and to their right was acres of flowers. They remember that Marvel had mentioned the gazebo in the flower side and decided to go look for it. As they walk hand in hand, they stroll through the different flower beds enjoying the beauty around them. They see the gazebo in the distance and walk towards it. They even see a beekeeper gathering some honey. They finally reach the gazebo and sit on a bench,. Each lost in their own thoughts.

Cato speaks up first, "Tell me about what your life was like before you lived with the Hawthorne's."

"Why would you ask me that?" Peeta asks getting upset.

Cato shrugs, "Something you said earlier today, about the townies not liking the people from the seam. You lived in both. I know about the good stuff from living in the seam. I just want to know about your life living in town. I mean, I know you had bad times, but there had to be some good, right?"

"Fine," Peeta says resignedly. "But I'm warning you now that there really isn't much good stuff that you didn't already hear." He looks out at the flowers, "I remember playing with Delly and Madge as a kid. They were my first friends. When I was old enough, I got to learn to work in the bakery. It started with learning to measure ingredients before I worked my way to decorating the cookies and cakes. I was told I was pretty good. My dad was really patient with me. My mother actually looked for faults. When she found something wrong, she would hit me. I tried really hard not to get hit. At first it was just a swat on my butt, later it was whatever she could reach – usually my face. As I got older, she stopped using her hand and used whatever was lying around – a wooden spoon or rolling pin." Peeta looks down at his lap, "I'd go to school pretending to be clumsy so no one would guess the truth. Although, I'm pretty sure they knew and just didn't say anything. No one wanted to hang around the bruised and broken boy except Delly and Madge. They never mentioned the bruises, or the beatings. The worst beating you know about. The one when I was 11 and ended up living with the Hawthorne's."

Cato pulls Peeta onto his lap, "I'm sorry I asked. I hadn't realized just how bad it truly was for you." He kisses the top of Peeta's head whispering, "Thank you for telling me." They stay in that position for a while. Cato looks down to see Peeta playing with Glimmer's necklace. "You and Glimmer were friends?" he asks.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, we talked a little. She was really sweet. She knew I was gay, said she could tell when she saw me with Finnick before the tribute parade." Peeta replies absently.

"Really? I saw the two of you and I never figured it out. I guess I was too shocked that you knew two Victors from other districts." Cato admits.

"I've met others, but JoJo and Finn came around the most. I was 14 when I admitted that I liked guys. Finn was my first crush. It wasn't until I was 16 that we began a sexual relationship." Peeta says looking at his hands. "You probably didn't want to know that. Sorry."

"Well, the guy really isn't my favorite person. But he was a part of your past and I keep saying I want to know all about your past." Cato tilts Peeta's face to his, "I don't mind if you want to talk about it, honestly."

"Fine, but you're going to return the favor and spill your secrets to me," Peeta says realizing that Cato has gotten him to talk about everything he had wanted to keep to himself.

"As you wish," Cato replies knowing he owes Peeta the story about Leonitus anyway.

Peeta looks up at Cato and gives him a sad smile, "Right before my 16th birthday, Finn comes to 12 and brings me a gift – a sea shell. 'If you hold it up to your ear, you can hear the ocean', he told me. I never could hear anything. He stayed for two weeks that trip, including the day of my birthday. Before he left, he gave me my first kiss. After that he came back every couple weeks, usually for only a couple days at most. Things slowly became more sexual between us with each visit until we became lovers." Peeta gets a far off look in his eyes, which scares Cato, before continuing, "Then one trip he came and brought Annie with him. I had been in the forest training with Boggs so it was late when I got to Haymitch's house. Haymitch wasn't there. He always took off for a couple hours when we went upstairs, for privacy he said. I ran upstairs excited that he was there and hoping to surprise him. Only I was the one surprised," Peeta's voice cracks.

"You found him in bed with Annie," Cato says remembering the fight Peeta and Finnick had.

"Yeah, I heard him confess his love for her and I ran back home. Gale gave me a strange look because he knew I normally spent the night when I was with Finn. I lied to him, saying Finnick was asleep and I didn't want to disturb him. Gale didn't say anything. The next morning I went to see Finn, whether to confront him or not I wasn't sure. He was acting strange and I knew why but pretended I never showed up the night before. I wanted him to admit what he'd done. He never did and in fact left that same day. When he returned weeks later, we 'mutually' agreed to end what we had and just be friends. I was already depressed by that time, crying myself to sleep. It hurt a lot. I wondered why I wasn't good enough for him." There were tears falling down Peeta's cheeks.

"How come you never said anything to him about seeing him with Annie before yesterday?" Cato asks as he gently wipes the tears from Peeta's face.

"I wanted to, I really did. But I kept seeing the guilt in his eyes – the morning after and when we broke up. I just couldn't tell him." Peeta's voice gets quieter and quieter until he whispered, "I was a chicken."

Cato holds Peeta closer to him, "Maybe you were more afraid to face the pain and anger of what he did to you."

"Maybe," Peeta admits. "I found out Annie was pregnant when I overheard Haymitch on the phone with Finn a couple months later. He had called to tell Haymitch to tell me he wasn't coming. To be honest, I was relieved when he missed that trip. I didn't have to pretend it didn't hurt to see him."

"How does Johanna Mason fit into all this mess?" Cato asks.

"She found out Finn and I were having sex right before the Annie fiasco. She came the weekend that Finnick didn't. We were friends so it was nice just the two of us. She saw my depression and tried to keep me upbeat while she was there. I let her know that I knew about Annie's pregnancy but made her swear not to tell Finnick I knew." Peeta says. He's beginning to feel emotionally drained. "Then when I volunteered for Rory, the shit had hit the fan. I'd finally gotten over him, no longer crying myself to sleep. Then Finn decides he wants me back. And I thought about it. God help me, but I did. But I knew I wouldn't go back to him the first time I spoke to you in my room. I think I may have even known the first time I saw you. I knew I wanted to get to know you. Even before I knew you were a part of the rebellion, I think I wanted you." Peeta looks up at Cato and sees tears in his eyes. "What? Did I say something wrong?" he panics.

Cato hugs him. "No baby. In fact, you said everything just right," Cato tells him before kissing Peeta's lips. The gentle kiss soon becomes more passionate. Peeta adjusts his position on Cato's lap so that he's straddling the older boy, his lips never leaving Cato's. Their hands begin searching, feeling. When they finally come up for air forehead to forehead, Peeta can feel Cato's hardness pressing against his ass. "Shall we take this back to our room?" Cato asks his lips hovering over Peeta's, eyes filled with lust.

"I think we may want to 'cool down' before we go anywhere. I certainly don't want to run into anyone in my 'condition' to be honest." Peeta replies breathless.

"I have to agree with you on that one," Cato says staring into Peeta's dark blue eyes. He wants to kiss him again but Peeta was right, they needed to cool down. "As long as we're confessing, I think you should know that I've liked you since I saw your reaping. Even if you weren't a part of the rebellion, I was going to make sure you came out with me."

"Why? You didn't even know me," asks Peeta confused.

"Because I wanted you. I was going to try to make you mine when we got out," Cato admits unashamed.

"I guess this was bound to happen anyway then," Peeta teases.

"I was going to do everything in my power to make sure it did," Cato says honestly. "But I'm glad things worked out the way they did even more."

"Oh, and why is that?" Peeta asks playfully, his fingers playing with the hair on the back of Cato's head.

"Because of this," Cato says pointing between the two of them. "Because I got to be with you in the arena. Because I get to be with you now. Because you are my boyfriend." He smiles wickedly licking his puffy kissed lips, "Because I got to make love to you. And I want to do it again and again."

Peeta gasps audibly, feeling himself getting even harder than he was. "That doesn't help my situation Cato," he tells him breathlessly.

"Mine either, but it had to be said," Cato tells him before he kisses him again. He licks Peeta's lips and when they part, he slips his tongue into Peeta's mouth. Their tongues glide against each other, causing both boys to moan. Cato bucks his hips against Peeta who grinds down against him. They pull apart despite neither of them truly wanting to.

Peeta slides himself off Cato's lap, causing the older boy to whine. He sits back down on the bench, laying his head on Cato's shoulder, "Maybe it's better I remove the temptation," he teases.

"Just being next to you is a temptation," Cato admits.

Off in the distance they can see a couple walking towards the gazebo. They watch the couple as they try to cool down from their kissing. As the couple gets closer, Cato gasps when he realizes who they are. Peeta looks up at Cato questioningly. Cato, feeling Peeta's eyes on him, gestures to the now hand holding couple, "Don't you recognize them?" he asks.

Peeta looks again. Now that they're closer, he realizes he does. And the shock is not necessarily bad. He turns to Cato exclaiming, "That's my dad and Mama Hazel!"

"It looks like they're holding hands," Cato points out.

"I wonder how long this has been going on." Peeta asks.

"Well, we could go ask them," Cato smirks. "Or we can stay here, let them join us, pretending we didn't see them."

Peeta playfully slaps Cato's arm, "I don't relish either of those ideas. Besides, it's kind of weird to see my dad holding hands with someone that isn't my mother. Do you think we can just sneak away?"

"We can try," Cato answers, noticing Peeta's discomfort. He grabs Peeta's hand and pulls him in the opposite direction of Fennel and Hazel.

"Thank you Cato," Peeta says as they leave the gazebo.

"We still need to get out of here though," Cato replies. "As soon as we can we have to find another path out."

It takes a while but they manage to skirt around the gazebo where Fennel and Hazel now are sitting. Soon they find themselves in the elevator and head to their room. Neither one mentions what they saw until they close the door behind them in their room.

Cato turns to Peeta, "You okay? I know it's probably a lot to take in seeing your dad with another woman."

"Actually, I think I'm fine with it," Peeta says looking up at Cato. "My mother is dead. Mama Hazel is a good woman. My father couldn't pick a better person to spend time with."

"You're taking this pretty well. Are you sure you're okay?" Cato asks suspiciously.

Peeta puts his hand on Cato's cheek looking into his icy blue eyes, "You never met the woman that gave birth to me. She was evil. If my dad is ready to put her in the past, we all should be. Does this mean I'm going to ask him outright about what we saw? Hell no. I'll let him tell me when he's ready." Peeta places his other hand on Cato's hip, "Now, can we stop talking about my dad? I believe we wanted to come back for a reason."

"And what would that be?" asks Cato huskily, grabbing Peeta's hips and pulling him even closer.

"This," Peeta says pulling Cato's face closer, their lips barely touching, before Peeta leans up and gives Cato a lust filled kiss. Peeta flicks his tongue over Cato's swollen lips causing him to open up to Peeta's invading tongue. As the kiss grows more passionate, their arms wrap around each other.

Cato pulls back, panting, "Are you sure you want to continue? You haven't had much sleep."

Peeta grabs the waistband of Cato's pants, pulling him towards Cato's bed, "I've never been more sure. Besides, we're going to be pretty busy these next couple weeks training. I don't want to regret not being with you when we had the opportunity."

"Well said," Cato praises before grasping the bottom of Peeta's shirt, lifting it off, and throwing it behind him on the floor.

Peeta licks his lips, smiling before returning the favor, throwing Cato's shirt with his own. Their lips crash together as if they'd been apart months, not moments ago. They take their time, their hands exploring the planes and contours of the others body. Something they skipped over earlier that morning. As Cato reaches down to unfasten Peeta's pants, there's a knock on the door. Both boys groan loudly, foreheads pressed together. Cato adjusts himself as he walks over to the door while Peeta pulls down the covers on the bed and sits on top.

"Hey Cato, is Peeta Bread here?" asks Johanna when the door opens.

Peeta jumps off the bed and rushes to stand next to Cato who puts his arm around the shorter boy, "What's up JoJo?" he asks as he notices the small bundle in her arms. "Who's th–" he begins to ask before being cut off.

"It's Finnick's son. I've had him since the meeting ended earlier," she says.

"Why?" asks Cato, not understanding why Johanna had the newborn.

"They released Annie this morning per her wish. She took off, leaving the sleeping baby in her and Finnick's room. Now nobody can find her. I know it's a lot to ask, but can you two _please_ watch him? I'm going to go join the search outside with the other mentors. I don't want to take him back to the hospital. I don't really know anyone else to ask Peeta. You're my last hope. Please?" she begs.

As the two boys look at each other, Johanna tries one last plea, "I know you can do this Peeta. I know you helped Gale's little sister. I've also seen you play with the little kids from the seam. You're good with kids," she looks at them with her best puppy face she can when they both turn back to her. "Finnick would trust you with little Finn here," she says, playing her final card.

Cato's response shocks Peeta and Johanna both, "We'll do it." When he sees their incredulous faces he continues, "What? His mother is missing. If it were me, I'd want as many people out there looking for my mother." He turns to face Johanna, "Someone will come and get him by the time we leave for breakfast though, right?" he asks.

"Yes!" she exclaims. "Me, Finnick, or another mentor will be here to get him." She looks down at the infant before looking back at Cato, "So you'll take him?"

"We will," he replies. He turns to Peeta, "We can always go to my parents, your dad, or Mama Hazel if we need to."

Johanna steps up to Peeta, handing him the infant before turning to Cato to hand him a large bag, "Inside are clean diapers, wipes, clean clothes, bottles, and formula. Just follow the instructions on the formula." She backs up, "Thank you both. I owe you guy's BIG time." She says before running to the elevator leaving the two boys rather dumbfounded.

Cato shuts the door and turns to Peeta. Seeing him snuggling the infant, Cato is shocked when he realizes that he can see him and Peeta raising a child of their own someday. The thought scares and excites him at the same time.

Peeta doesn't see the emotions that cross Cato's face. He's too busy looking down at the sleeping infant in his arms, worried that something bad has happened to sweet Annie.

"Come on Peeta, let's get ready for bed," Cato says pulling Peeta from his thoughts. Cato sets the bag on the foot of Peeta's bed as Peeta sits on Cato's bed, leaning against the headboard. Cato grabs a pair of pajama pants from his drawer and quickly changes. He goes into the bathroom and grabs a stack of towels. He returns to the room, setting the towels on Peeta's nightstand before pulling the bedding down on Peeta's bed. He takes the towels, rolls them, laying them in a square on the bed before pulling the sheet back up over the towels. He turns to take little Finn from Peeta but sees him sleeping with the infant on his bare chest. The sight makes him smile. Cato leaves the bathroom light on, the door cracked open, before turning off the bedroom lights. He crawls carefully over Peeta getting into bed, covering himself and Peeta.

What feels like moments later to Cato, the baby starts to cry. He sits up, leans against the headboard saying, "Peeta, hand me the baby. I'll change him if you'll fix the bottle." Peeta hands little Finn to Cato, grabs the bag off his bed handing Cato a diaper and the wipes, before taking the bag into the bathroom with him. Cato quickly changes the baby, having learned how with Clove's twin brothers. Peeta comes out and hands Cato the bottle before going to change into a pair of pajama pants.

As Peeta turns to go back to bed, the sight before him causes his heart to skip a beat. Cato is feeding the baby and the smile on his face takes Peeta's breath away. Then he can see his future, one with Cato feeding a child of their own, a child that will never have to worry about being reaped. The image is so strong and clear it makes Peeta's knees weak and he slumps to the floor.

"Peeta, are you okay?" Cato asks frantically while trying not to disturb Finn.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Peeta says clearing his head. "Just more tired than I thought," he adds standing up. He makes his way back to the bed, climbing over Cato's legs to get into bed. Once Finn is asleep, Cato gets up and lays him on the bed in the space he made. He covers the infant with his blanket before climbing back into his own bed and snuggling up to Peeta.

The waking, changing, feeding cycle plays out three more times before the two boys decide it's time to get up. Cato showers and dresses first while Peeta cares for the baby. Cato rocks little Finn to sleep as Peeta gets ready.

As breakfast time approaches, Cato begins to worry when no one shows up to pick up the baby.

"Let's just go to breakfast. We can leave a note to let whomever is to pick up the baby where to go," Peeta suggests hungrily.

Cato hands Peeta the infant, writes the note, and grabs the bag making sure they gathered everything that goes in it. They head out the door, Cato putting the note on the door. It's just bad luck that Gale and Wheet happen to beheaded to breakfast at the same time.

"Oh Peeta, dad told you he wasn't ready yet! Where were you two hiding it?" Wheet teases.

"Wheet, you're an idiot! This is Finnick and Annie's son, little Finn," Peeta says as he rolls his eyes.

"What are you two doing with Finnick's son?" Gale asks stupefied.

"Annie disappeared yesterday after getting released from the hospital. Finnick left the baby with Johanna, who left him with us to go search with the other mentors," Cato explains as he puts his arm around Peeta's waist.

"Well, don't you boys look like a happy family," teases Clove as she joins the conversation. "Can you believe Johanna asked these two to watch a newborn? That girl is off her rocker," she says before giving Gale a kiss. "I would've turned her down."

"Wait, you had the room to yourself last night and you didn't come get me?" Gale asks. "I'm hurt," he adds putting his hands over his chest, pretending to be heartbroken.

"Oh please, I didn't know if or when Johanna would be coming back," Clove says snickering. "Besides, you'd have left Bread Boy's big brother all alone, the poor fellow."

"Oh please little one, I would've been just fine," Wheet says folding his arms over his chest and smirking.

"Let's just go get breakfast," Peeta says irritably before Clove could respond.

"Geez, wake up on the wrong side of Cato this morning baby brother?" Wheet asks as they walk to the elevator.

"Probably didn't get much sleep at all," says Gale remembering what it was like when Posy was born.

The 5 of them went to the dining hall in silence.

Things were worse for Peeta and Cato when they walked in. Wheet, Clove, and Gale go get their breakfast. Peeta leans on Cato for support. Katniss, Marvel, Madge, Delly, Rie, and Foxface spot them first and rush over to them, all speaking at once.

"Wow, you two didn't waste any time, did you?" asks Foxface with a teasing grin.

"Please tell me you didn't make me an uncle already," quips Rie.

"Aww, look at the little family. They're so cute," says Marvel, snickering behind his hand.

"Dad's gonna be pissed Peet," Delly says before cooing at the baby.

"Certainly doesn't look like either of you," Katniss teases as she looks at the infant.

"Please tell me my father didn't steal another baby," begs Madge.

After fawning over the baby a few more moments, the 6 teens leave them alone. Unfortunately for the two boys, their parents walk up. Maxamilian just looks at the boys. The disappointment on his face makes Cato and Peeta both feel very uncomfortable. Ceteria looks like she's torn between crying and screaming. Fennel looks like he wants to pull his hair out.

Cato speaks up, "Guy's it's really not what you're thinking. Can we please sit down and explain?" he asks gesturing to a table. As soon as they are all seated Cato continues, "This is Finnick O'dair and Annie Cresta's son. We did _not_ steal, kidnap, or adopt a baby. We were just babysitting as the mother disappeared. Honest." He adds.

Peeta speaks next, "Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Canelos, Cato is telling the truth. Johanna Mason was watching him. She brought little Finn here to us to go help the other mentors with the search for Annie." Peeta looks up at Cato before continuing, "We just spent the night barely sleeping. I can guarantee you, I am most certainly not ready for a baby right now. And I'm pretty certain Cato isn't either."

"I guess that makes sense," Ceteria says relieved. "You two really had me scared for a moment."

"Sorry mom. Truth is we were expecting someone to pick him up before we came down. Between you guys freaking out and our 'friends' teasing, I'm not sure we'll ever want kids," Cato says.

"Oh boys, we were just shocked," Fennel says. "When you're older, you'll see that being a parent is pretty nice."

"Why don't we let the boys eat now," suggests Maxamilian.

The three parents get up and go back to where they were. Peeta lays his head on Cato's shoulder wishing they had waited in their room. Cato pulls Peeta closer, kissing his head.

Just then Finnick burst through the doors. He sees Peeta holding his son. For a brief moment, he wishes that he and Peeta could raise the baby together. He shakes the thought from his head and rushes over, "Oh thank god! I am so sorry I was late. It took much longer to get back than I thought," he says as he takes his son from Peeta's arms. He then looks at Cato, "Jo told me that you were the one that agreed to watch my son. I thank you Cato."

"Like I told Johanna, if my mother was missing I'd want as many people out there looking for her as possible. It was an easy decision, no it was the right decision to make Finnick. With Peeta and I watching little Finn here, that was one more person out there looking for his mother," he tells him, handing over the bag. "His last bottle was about 45 minutes ago, as was his last diaper change."

"Thanks again guys. This means a lot to me. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you," Finnick say sincerely. Then he's hit with an idea, "I have a question for you both. It may seem a little weird but I want you guys to be little Finn's godfathers. Please? Johanna has already agreed to be the godmother."

Cato and Peeta look at each other. It was a really strange request considering the last few weeks. Cato just shrugs, "Sure Finnick, we'll be little Finn's godfathers." Cato and Peeta stand up. Cato puts his arm around Peeta, "If you'll excuse us, we're going to go eat now."

"Yeah, sure. I'm sorry. I'm just going to go. I'll see you around," Finnick says before turning and leaving.

As they walk to get their meal, Cato asks, "Do you think I was too harsh with Finnick? He seemed kind of dejected as he walked away."

Peeta looks up at Cato, "No, I don't. I think that he's just worried about Annie."

Cato smiles at Peeta before kissing his forehead, "Thanks. Let's eat babe."

Peeta raises his eyebrow at Cato but keeps his mouth shut. They get their breakfast and Fennel hands them some rolls. Then he sneaks 2 cheesy buns over the counter, putting his finger to his lips indicating it was a secret. Cato smiles taking the rolls and walking away. Peeta turns to follow after thanking his dad. They sit at a table next to Cato's parents, and begin eating. The look on Cato's face as he at the cheesy bun was priceless to Peeta. "Mine are better," he says quietly with a wink that startles Cato. They finish eating and join the others as they prepare to head for their training.

"The President requests your presence," Boggs tells them as he enters the dining hall and sees them all together. They follow Boggs to the elevator and into the meeting room.

As they sit down and wait for Coin to join them, Peeta looks around and notices several of the mentors are there, including Finnick who has his son with him. Peeta notes that Johanna, Haymitch, and Brutus are absent. He begins to worry.

President Coin enters and looks at the group that is gathered. She turns to Boggs, "Has the woman been found?"

"No Madam President. And three of the mentors have not yet returned," He replies.

"I see," she says as she walks to the front of the room. "Send a small squad out to retrieve the missing mentors."

"Yes ma'am," Boggs replies before turning to Jackson and nodding at her to do as the president requested.

As Jackson leaves the room, Coin addresses those that are present, "As many of you are aware, Victor Annie Cresta disappeared yesterday after her release from the hospital leaving her newborn son in the care of his father. Last night a search party consisting of prior victors and mentors went out into the forest to look. Some of them have yet to return. Due to this unexpected 'emergency', you new soldiers will not be going to training today. Instead, you will be fitted with tracking devices and will help join the search party."

Just then Holmes came rushing into the room. "Madam President, I'm sorry to interrupt. I need to speak to you immediately."

Coin nods and follows Holmes out the door. She returns moments later, "Boggs, we need to implement plan Alpha. There are Capitol hovercrafts heading our way." She turns and leaves the room without another word. All eyes turn to Boggs expectantly. Just then an alarm sounds.

"Everyone to the stairwells, NOW!" Boggs orders. "We need to get down to the bunkers. MOVE IT!"

Everyone jumps out of their seats and rush to the door. Holmes is outside the door and directs them to the stairwell. Cato and Peeta are behind Finnick who seems to be struggling with the baby and the bag. "Give me the bag," Cato says to Finnick as they reach a landing. Finnick hands him the bag and readjusts his son replying "Thank you," as he continues on. The lower they go, the more congested the stairwell gets.

The bunkers are located on level 36 and as they reach the room, they can see a large cavernous room behind a large Metal door. Once inside the door, they are directed to go to the letter area coinciding with their surname.

Cato hands Finnick the bag before turning to Peeta. "I'll find you soon. I'll keep Delly with me," he says before giving Peeta a kiss and heading to the "C" section. Delly goes with him.

Peeta follows his brothers deeper into the cavern to the "M" section where they find their father. As they sit down, they can hear the metal door close. As they sit on the ground awaiting their next order, Johanna Mason walks up looking ragged. "Hey Peeta Bread, fancy seeing you here," she says before collapsing on the ground before him. That's when Wheet notices the long gashes on her body.

**That's all for this chapter. I admit I really liked this one. I hope to get chapter 16 up soon.**


	16. Chapter 16: What now?

_**The Games We Played**_

**Hello and welcome to the next chapter. I apologize for the delay. I went out of town for a surprise shopping spree. I got some new clothes and had a lot of fun getting away for a while. With my job, there's not a lot of chances to get some free time so when it comes, I jump at the chance. (The last time was in October and I went to Seattle, WA to see the King Tut exhibit for my birthday.)**

_**Rolyn: **_**Glad you liked the chapter. I can't tell you much about Annie. It would ruin the story ;)**

_**Lincolnlog89: **_**No need to be jealous, it's her family lol. Peeta and Cato's cute factor is just so much fun to write. And Johanna didn't **_**really**_** mean to interrupt. Little Finn gave Peeta and Cato a glimpse into what their future could be like. **

_**Genna (Guest): **_**I'm glad you liked it. For your idea of a certain pairing, did you read my mind? ;) As for Rie and Foxface, I never really thought about pairing them up. I may have to see if I can work that in somehow. I like Fennel and Hazel too. There's more of them coming up soon.**

_**yuntani:**_** Annie and the missing mentors – read on to find out what happens. Fennel and Hazel – I don't know why but I really like the thought of them together. Foxface's past – you know, I hadn't given it much thought to be honest. I may have to rectify that.**

_**MangoMagic:**_** Cato is a great guy. And I think he'd agree with you about the "smut teasing" lol. When writing chapter 10, I started thinking about Fennel and Hazel possibly being a couple later in the story. We'll see in the coming chapters if they become a couple or remain just friends ;) As for Madge's comment, it was too funny and I just had to throw that in there.**

_**Mhardman: **_**I was a little nervous about having Peeta and Cato taking care of an infant, worried that people would freak out on me. But it fit into the story and I took the chance. A plot? My story has a plot? I'm kidding of course. I like that I'm keeping readers on their toes lol.**

_**movetotherhythm: **_**In district 13 things are not always what they appear. You will find out a little more about Coin in this chapter. Baby Finn was fun to write about even though I was afraid of my reader's reactions about 2 teenaged boys taking care of an infant. I'm happy that everyone was good with it.**

Chapter 16: What now?

Wheet scoops up Johanna and begins to run over to section "E" to look for the Everdeen's. Peeta, having not seen the deep marks on Johanna's back, takes off after him worried for his friend. Rie and Fennel stay where they are, waiting for further instructions.

Wheet finds Katniss and asks her where her mother is. Peeta arrives as Katniss tells Wheet that she'll take him to where her mother and sister are working and follows them. The reach the area set up for medical attention. Lily sees Wheet carrying Johanna and rushes over.

"What happened?" she asks Wheet as she signals for him to follow her.

"We don't know. She came up to us, greeted Peeta, and then collapsed. I saw her back and immediately thought to bring her to you." Wheet tells her.

They come up to an empty cot, "Lay her on her side and I'll look." Lily tells him. He lays her down and steps back as Prim shows up. She sees the scratches and immediately begins to gather the items needed to clean the wound.

When she returns, she looks at the three older teens, "This is going to take a while. I can come find you when she's done," she offers.

"Peeta and Katniss can go. I really want to stay," Wheet replies.

Peeta, who finally saw the damage, just nods before turning to Katniss, "We can go if you want. I should let my dad and Rie know what's going on."

Katniss looks at Peeta, "I think I'll go see Marvel. I already got our supplies set up in our spot." She turns to her mom and Prim, "I'll be with Marvel's family for a while. They're in the "W" section, just so you know." Her mother looks up nodding to let Katniss know she heard her before returning to her work.

Katniss and Peeta walk to the "M" section talking and laughing. Anyone could see they were close. They arrive at Peeta's family spot where she gives him a hug before continuing on to see Marvel.

"Are you sure you and Katniss don't have something on the side? You two sure seemed couple-y. I just hope Cato didn't see it. I certainly wouldn't want to see his jealous side," Rie teases.

Fennel pops Rie upside the back of his head lightly before turning to Peeta, "Where's your brother?" he asks.

"He stayed with Johanna. She was hurt worse than I thought. Several long gashes on her back," replies Peeta.

Just then Cato and Delly walk up. Delly has a bag in her hand.

"What's going on Delly?" Fennel asks looking at her bag. "Where are you going?"

"I didn't want to be alone so I asked if I could be with my family," Delly says smiling. "Homes said Haymitch had told him that we were family so he let me come." She looks down at her feet, "I hope that's okay."

Fennel walks up to her wrapping her in his arms, "It's wonderful," he tells her.

Just then Madge walks up, "Is it okay if I stay here with you uncle Fennel? I got permission to come ask you."

Fennel beams at Madge, "Well, of course you can stay." He steps back and looks around at his family, "This is perfect despite where we are. Do you need to get your stuff?"

Just then Homes walks up with several bags. "These are some supplies you'll need while you're down here. There's even a bag here for soldier Undersee. A late lunch will be provided once all families are settled."

"Thank you Homes," Peeta says as the older man turns and leaves. He turns to Cato, "Thanks for walking Delly here."

"Ha, it was an excuse to come see you," he says wrapping his arms around Peeta. He leans down to whisper in his ear, "The nights are going to suck. I've gotten used to holding you in my arms as we sleep." Neither boy noticed Peeta's family giving them some privacy by walking away.

Peeta's arms went around Cato as he lays his head on Cato's shoulder, "I know. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep at night. Especially after that nightmare I had."

"Well if you have one, just come find me. You know where I'll be," Cato says tipping Peeta's chin, gazing into his eyes. "I'll always be there for you."

Cato spends the rest of the day with the Mellark family. Wheet joins everyone at dinner, reporting that Johanna is doing better. She'll have some scars but she should be able to leave the hospital area in the next day or two. She will need someone to keep her company and Wheet volunteered. Peeta shakes his head in disbelief. Wheet was going to have his work cut out for him getting Johanna to accept help. Peeta wished him luck, snickering as he did so. Wheet also mentioned that Johanna was talking in her sleep about large wolf-like mutts with large claws and human eyes. It freaked Peeta out.

All too soon it was time for Cato to go back to section "C". Peeta decided to walk him half way. When they reached the section "H" area, Cato pulled Peeta into his arms. He looks down at Peeta, "I don't want to let you go."

"I wish you didn't have to go either," Peeta tells him before stretching up and kissing him. Cato deepens the kiss, their tongues meeting, fighting. Cato's hands gently running up and down Peeta's back as Peeta's hands tangle themselves in Cato's hair. When they finally pull apart, both are panting heavily. "I want you so bad," Peeta admits breathlessly.

"Ditto," replies Cato. He reluctantly lets go of Peeta and both boys slowly walk back to their families, stopping often to look back at the other wistfully.

_Peeta walks out of District 13's hidden entrance to go hunting. Cato and Gale had already gone out ahead of him. As he walks through the forest, he sees it's exactly like the one outside of District 12. Behind him he hears a deep growl. He turns around and sees three mutts. The first one to catch his eye is a light colored, green eyed wolf. The next one is brown with hazel colored eyes. It's smaller than the blonde one. The last one is a huge brown colored wolf with brown eyes. Peeta looks at the eyes again. He realizes that they are Glimmer, Rue, and Thresh! They slowly advance towards him. He turns and runs. He reaches a meadow. He realizes it's the one from outside of 12. As he reaches the center of the meadow he stops running, remembering his bow and arrows on his back. As he notches an arrow and turns around, he's surprised to see another wolf. The new addition is bronze colored with sea green eyes – Finnick! The four wolves enter the meadow and stop. Suddenly they speak. _

"_Why didn't you save me Peeta? Why did you let me die?" they say._

_Peeta falls to his knees, hands tangled in his own hair, unable to speak. Suddenly, from behind him comes gun fire killing the four mutts. Peeta turns around hoping to see Cato and Gale only to find Leonitus, Brie from D1, and Ariel from D4. He then hears a chorus of growls coming from the dead wolf mutts. Turning back around he sees Katniss, Delly, Madge, Clove, Foxface, Rie, Wheet, Tavin, Marvel, and Gale in wolf mutt form. They begin to speak to him._

_Why did you let Snow do this to us Peeta? You were our friend, family, and ally. You swore to protect us."_

_Then Leonitus speaks, "Come my love, let's kill these mutts and raise our child together."_

_Peeta turns to gape at him and sees Leonitus with baby Finn in his arms, smiling. _

_Then he can hear Cato's voice, "Peeta, I loved you! How could you do this to me? To us?"_

_He turns towards the voice and sees Cato standing there in human form. Peeta thought he never looked more handsome. Then Peeta sees the guns Brie and Ariel are aiming at Cato. "How could you do this to your friends? To your family? How could you leave me? Wasn't I enough for you? Didn't you love me?" Cato continues, tears running down his face._

_Peeta stands and tries to walk towards Cato, wanting to feel the older boy's arms. "No Cato! I do love you! I haven't done anything wrong," he says. But with each step he takes towards Cato, Cato seems to get farther away._

_Leonitus stops Peeta by handing him the baby. "Come on darling, we can go now. Our son needs his daddy," he says._

_Peeta looks at Leonitus with disgust before turning back to look at Cato. "Cato, please come back! I need you! I love you, only you!" Peeta cries as he takes off running towards him with the baby in his arms. Right before he reaches Cato, Brie and Ariel shoot Cato before running off. Peeta falls to the ground cradling the infant in one arm and pulling Cato's head into his lap with his other. "Please Cato, don't leave me! I need you!" he cries._

_With his dying breath Cato looks up into Peeta's eyes, "I loved you and you left me. Now it's my turn to leave you."_

Peeta sits up, his breathing ragged, a scream stuck in his throat. He looks around seeing his family still asleep. Except for Wheet, who went to go be with Johanna. He wants Cato. No, he needs Cato. He needs to see him alive and breathing, needs him to take away his guilt with his comforting words. Peeta gets out of bed quietly and carefully makes his way to the "C" section.

When he arrives, he looks for Cato's family. Finding them, he doesn't see Cato. He's not worried about where he is. Peeta doesn't think he'll be able to go back to his family's space and sleep so he decides to walk around. As he's walking, he can hear a baby crying. He follows the sound to the "O" section. He looks around and sees Finnick walking around, bouncing his son who was the baby crying. By some odd miracle, the few other people in the section were still asleep. Peeta walks over and smiles gently at Finnick who looks flustered and exhausted.

"Peeta, I can't get him to stop crying," Finnick says wearily. "I've fed him, changed his diaper, sang to him, and even tried walking him. Nothing is working." That's when Peeta notices the tears streaks on Finnick's face in the pale light.

"Give me the baby Finnick," Peeta says reaching for the infant. As soon as the infant is in his arms, he quiets down. Peeta turns to Finnick, "Go to bed. I'll take care of little Finn for a while."

"Thank you Peeta," Finnick says as he lies down. He's asleep before Peeta leaves the "O" section.

Baby Finn totally stops crying as Peeta walks, humming to him. Peeta continues his walk towards the "Z" section. By the time he reaches it, little Finn is asleep, drooling on Peeta's shoulder. Peeta turns around and retraces his steps, heading towards the "A" section. As he passes the "O" section, he looks in on Finnick and sees he's still sleeping. He knows he could take the sleeping infant back, but he likes the feel of the infant in his arms. And it's also a way to convince himself that he can't return to his bed. Reaching the "A" section, he turns and walks back the way he came again.

Left without Cato to help him, Peeta can't stop thinking about his nightmare. When he reaches the "C" section again, he looks to see if maybe Cato was back. He's still not there. Now Peeta begins to worry about where he is. He had promised he'd be there if Peeta needed him. He decides to take the baby back to Finnick before sitting at his family's space.

When he reaches the "O" section again, he sees Finnick sitting up on his bed. As Peeta gets closer, he can see the sobs wracking Finnick's body. Peeta rushes to Finnick's bed and squats down carefully in front of the older man, "Finn, what's wrong?"

Finnick looks at Peeta, tears flowing down his cheeks. "They found Annie. She was killed by wolf-like mutts," Finnick tells him.

Peeta lays little Finn on the bed next to Finnick and sits on the opposite side. "How do you know? Who told you?" he asks curious.

"President Coin herself told me. The squad that went out while we were in our meeting with her came back. Haymitch and Brutus managed to keep the mutts from ripping her to pieces but got pretty mangled themselves," Finnick says before he starts crying again.

Peeta pulls Finnick's head to his shoulder letting him cry. He runs his hand over Finnick's hair comfortingly.

When Finnick cries himself out, he sits up and looks at Peeta, "Why did she take off? She seemed excited when little Finn was born. She even kept smiling at me when I was holding him right after I left you and Cato. She seemed better. The problems she had before she got pregnant seemed to disappear."

Peeta knew the problems Finnick was talking about. After her games, Annie retreated into her own mind only responding to Finnick. He would bring Annie to District 12 for a change of scenery every year thinking it would help. "Do you think she reverted back after the baby was born?" he asks.

"I don't know. Maybe," Finnick replies despondent. He turns to look at his son, "It hurts to know that my son will never know his mother." Finnick's tears start again. Peeta grabs a shirt that was on the foot of Finnick's bed and gently wipes his tears. Finnick smiles sadly at Peeta, "Why are you helping me? Won't Cato be upset if you're with me?"

Peeta puts the shirt back where it was before looking down at his hands, "I'm helping you because you are my friend. As for Cato, I had a bad dream and went to go to him. But he wasn't there so I started walking. I heard little Finn crying and saw how tired you looked. I wanted to help. Besides, it took my mind off the dream for a little while. I did check again to see if he was back, but he wasn't."

Finnick reaches over and takes Peeta's left hand into his right, "Thank you Peeta. I know we had our problems but I'm grateful you still consider me a friend."

Peeta smiles a small smile at Finnick, "We'll always be friends. Our problems are where they belong – in the past." He then remembers Finnick mentioning Coin. "I wonder where Coin is hiding? I haven't seen her once since we've been down here."

Finnick shrugs, "All I know is that she woke me up to tell me about Annie then left. I was crying so I didn't see which way she went." The two sat there quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. Finnick put his left hand on his son, watching him sleep.

Two hours later, the search for Peeta began. Fennel had awakened to find his son not in his bed. He checked the "C" section to see if he was with Cato, but Cato wasn't there either. Fennel relaxed a little thinking the two boys probably were together and went to offer his help in the kitchen area. I wasn't until he ran into Wheet that he found out that Cato had been in the hospital area most of the night. Hazel walks into the kitchen area to get some water for Posy when Fennel asked her if she's seen Peeta. She says she hadn't but would send Gale to go look.

Fifteen minutes later, Gale and Cato were looking for Peeta together. As they were passing the "O" section, Gale heard a noise and when he looked, saw Peeta sleeping on Finnick's shoulder. Before he could do anything he heard Cato gasp and knew he'd seen Peeta as well.

Cato was worried about Peeta. When Gale had told him Peeta was missing, all he could think about was how Annie Cresta was missing too. Cato and Gale started looking together thinking he might have gone to see one of their other friends. As they pass the "O" section, he notices Gale's step falter slightly and looked in. There was Peeta, asleep with Finnick. Cato looks closer and sees they're holding hands as well. It hurt him deeply. How could Peeta do this to him? Before he could walk away Gale grabs his arm to stop him.

"We don't know why they're together. We don't know what happened. We really shouldn't jump to conclusions. For all we know Peeta fell asleep talking to Finnick. Let's hear what Peeta has to say. Please, just wait here. I'll go get him" Gale says before walking over to Peeta.

Cato stands there waiting, his hands clenched into fists fearing the worst.

It's not until he gets closer to the sleeping pair that Gale sees they're holding hands. All he can hope is that Cato hadn't seen that. He squats in front of Peeta, gently shaking his shoulder.

Peeta opens his eyes and sees Gale with his finger over his lips in a shushing gesture. They both stand and Gale whispers that everyone has been looking for him, including Cato. Peeta sees Cato behind Gale and his nightmare comes back full force.

Peeta rushes over to Cato, wrapping his arms around the stiff, older boy. "I'm so happy to see you," he says. When Cato doesn't move or speak, Peeta looks up and sees hurt and anger in Cato's eyes. Peeta steps away from Cato his eyes never leaving Cato's, "It's not what you think Cato. Please listen to me, hear me out." he begs, his eyes pleading for Cato to listen.

"Fine," Cato replies crossing his arms over his chest.

Gale had walked over towards the couple but giving them the space they needed to talk. He was ready in case Peeta needed him. He can hear Peeta telling what had happened.

"I had a nightmare. I went to find you but you weren't there with your family. I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep alone so I went for a walk hoping to either wait for your return or wear myself out. As I was walking, I heard little Finn crying. Finnick said he tried everything try to get him to go to sleep. I could see Finnick was exhausted so I took the baby and continued to walk, eventually getting him to sleep. I walked from "O" to "Z" back up to "A". I stopped at "C" to see if you were back but you weren't. I was beginning to feel tired again so I decided to take little Finn back." As he's talking, Cato never moves. Peeta's already afraid Cato has already decided to leave him, "When I got back, I see Finnick sobbing. Coin had just told him that Annie had died and that Brutus and Haymitch were seriously injured." When Cato didn't even flinch at the mention of Brutus, Peeta knew that Cato must already know about him. "I stayed with Finnick, talking to him as he really needed a friend. I must have fallen asleep. Nothing else happened."

Just then Finnick spoke up from behind Peeta, little Finn wiggling in his arms, "He's telling you the truth Cato. Nothing happened between us other than talking. Peeta fell asleep and I let him sleep. Maybe it would've been better to wake him but he was exhausted."

Cato looks from Peeta to Finnick. He looks into Finnick's bloodshot eyes and can see that he is telling the truth. When he finally looks back down at Peeta, he can see the fear before the tears begin to fall. But before he can say anything Peeta turns and begins to run away from them all.

"Peeta wait!" Cato calls out to him.

Peeta stops and turns around, "Why? Why should I wait? You don't, won't believe me even though Finnick told I was telling the truth!" Tears are flowing down his face. "Just leave me alone!" he adds as Cato begins to walk towards him. For every step Cato takes forward, Peeta takes one back.

"Peeta please stop. I believe you, I truly do." Cato says softly. "Just please stop running away from me."

Peeta can hear something in Cato's voice that causes him to stop walking backwards. "You believe me?" he asks perplexed. Cato had stood there stone faced and rigid when he explained the situation. Peeta wasn't sure what to believe.

Cato slowly approaches Peeta, "Yes Peeta. I was just surprised to see you with Finnick. And to be honest, seeing you holding his hand hurt." He reaches Peeta, lifting his right hand to Peeta's left cheek. "I'm sorry Peeta," he says softly as he uses his right thumb to wipe the tears on Peeta's cheek.

"Why are you sorry?" asks Peeta not understanding.

"For not being there for you last night, for making you cry," Cato replies as he brings his other hand up and wiping the tears from the other side of Peeta's face. "For letting you think I doubted you," he adds before leaning down to kiss Peeta's lips gently.

When they part Peeta looks into Cato's eyes, "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I ran from you and yelled," he says wrapping his arms around Cato's waist. "I'm sorry."

As Cato wraps his arms around Peeta, whispering in his ear he jokes, "You know this was our first fight as a couple. We're supposed to have make up sex now." He looks down and sees Peeta smiling, "That's what I like to see," he says before pulling Peeta closer. They stand there, wrapped in each other's arms, eyes closed, enjoying the moment. Neither one notices Gale and Finnick leaving, taking the baby to meet Hazel. Moments later Cato speaks again his lips against Peeta's temple, "Tell me about your nightmare, baby."

"I'd rather not think about it right now. Just know that I watched you die and now that I can see you walking, talking, and breathing I feel much better." Peeta says wrapping his arms tighter around Cato.

"Alright, I'll let it go – for now. But I think we really should talk," Cato says, his tone serious. He pulls back a little to look at Peeta, "The reason you couldn't find me was because I was with Brutus and Haymitch last night. They're in really bad shape. Brutus may lose his leg. I was still awake last night when they were brought in. But I didn't know about Annie. No one told me." He watches as Peeta bites his bottom lip. "Wheet was going back to sit with Johanna. When he saw me, he told me you weren't in your bed this morning. I was worried about you. I ran into Gale who was looking for me to help him find you. When I saw you with Finnick I -"

"Please don't Cato," Peeta beseeches. "I don't want to fight anymore."

"Me either," Cato concedes.

"Should we go tell my family you found me?" Peeta asks.

Cato looks around and realizes that Gale and Finnick are gone, "No, I'm pretty sure he knows by now. Gale and Finnick left."

Peeta notices the bags under Cato's eyes, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Very little," Cato admits sheepishly. "I wasn't able to snuggle with my little bread boy."

"Ugh, these stupid baker nicknames," Peeta scowls.

"You don't like them?" Cato asks.

"They're not bad, just annoying," Peeta admits sighing. "I've heard pretty much heard them all."

"Since I used a baker nickname, does that mean you don't want to snuggle with me anymore?" Cato asks regrettably, pretending to pout.

Peeta smiles, "There's nothing I'd like to do more right now."

The two boys walk hand in hand, stopping in the "M" section when they realize it's empty. They lay down, Peeta with his head on Cato's shoulder and Cato with his arms wrapped tightly around Peeta. They share one last kiss before falling back to sleep.

Peeta wakes before Cato having gotten more sleep. He stays wrapped in Cato's arms, relishing the fact of being able to watch Cato sleep without being interrupted. He's slowly and softly running his hand across Cato chest, wishing they were in the privacy of their own room, when he hears a snicker coming from behind him. He carefully extricates himself from Cato's arms, briefly pissed at whoever snickered, before looking behind him. What he sees makes him blush a deep shade red.

All his arena allies plus Wheet, Johanna, Tavin (Marvel's brother), Cleo and Gaius (Cato's siblings), Caspar and Caleb (Clove's twin brothers), Prim, Rory, Vick, and Posy were all sitting on the ground in a circle pretending not to be watching Peeta and Cato sleep.

"What the hell guys?" Peeta asks before looking back at Cato to make sure he didn't wake him. "That's a little creepy, watching us like that," he adds quietly, getting out of bed and going over to the group.

"Oh Peeta Bread, you two are just way too cute together when you sleep," says Johanna teasingly making Wheet grin like crazy. Johanna sees it and turns on him, "Something funny over there Wheet Bread?"

"Oh, so you do know my name," Wheet replies giving her a wink causing Johanna to blush.

"Wow JoJo, looks like you may have feelings after all," Peeta whispers in Johanna's ear before moving out of her reach quickly.

"Leave her alone baby brother. She's still healing," Wheet says to Peeta, the concern for Johanna evident in his voice. Peeta looks at his brother who just shrugs.

Peeta sits between Clove and Marvel. Clove hands him a sandwich, "This is for you Bread Boy. Your dad sent one for Muscles when he wakes up. You guys slept through breakfast and your dad thought you two would miss lunch too."

Peeta takes the sandwich and eats while listening to the others complain about being stuck in the large cavern. "Does anyone know what's going on? Has District 13 been attacked?" he asks when his sandwich is gone.

"I overheard Boggs talking to Coin last night. He said that the Capitol miscalculated where the underground bunker is located. The bombs hit some old buildings North of where we are," says Wheet. "I wasn't able to hear much more after that due to all the medical help rushing to help care for Brutus and Haymitch. Cato showed up about that time. He may have heard something. We can ask him when he wakes up."

"Cinna told me that we're going to be filming propos tonight showing us helping the district in different areas," Katniss says. "They want to show us all alive and well, show the districts that we're not afraid of the Capitol. Apparently Portia and Tigris were able to help Cinna get our 'special' battle outfits down here."

"Beetee told me that he made special weapons for you all," Foxface tells the group. "I'm to be his assistant in the special weapons unit."

"That's sounds really cool Foxface," Rie tells her. "Wait, so you won't be training with us then?" he asks.

"Not necessarily. I just know I don't have to go to the firing range with you all. It seems we're to be filmed training for the war effort," Foxface tells him. "Plus, I'll still be able to have my meals with you all."

Posy crawls from Gale's lap into Peeta's, "Brother Peeta, this stuff is boring," she tells him looking up at him.

"What would you like to do Posy?" Peeta asks. He notices Clove's twin brother's look bored as well.

She looks around at the group gathered, thinking for a moment. She sees them sitting in a circle and it gives her an idea, "I want to play a game," she says enthusiastically.

"And what game would you like to play Posy?" Peeta asks her.

She smiles at Peeta before turning to the rest of the group, "We're going to play 'Duck, Duck, Goose'," she says decidedly. "Look, we're already in a circle!"

Caspar and Caleb look really excited to play so everyone but Johanna agrees to play. Johanna can't because her injuries are still not quite healed.

"I'm 'it' first," Posy calls as she stands up. She gets behind Peeta and starts, "Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose," she says tapping Wheet on the head.

It was the laughing by the group that finally woke Cato up. When he looks up, he sees Marvel calling Goose on Clove before running around the group with her chasing him. That wasn't as shocking as having to watch Clove take her turn, calling out, "Duck, duck, duck" until she reaches Peeta and calling "Goose" and take off running. Cato sits up to watch. Clove catches his movement and stumbles allowing Peeta to catch her. This shocks everyone, Peeta included. They all look to see what she's staring at and see Cato sitting there with a big smile on his face.

"Cato!" Posy screams jumping up and running over to him, throwing herself in his lap making him chuckle at her enthusiasm. Soon he and Posy are joined by Caleb and Caspar. The three 5 year olds tackle him back onto the bed when he tries to stand up. "Dog pile!" Caleb calls out looking at Clove.

"Dog Pile!" Clove calls back before joining the young ones. Cleo and Gaius quickly join the dog pile.

"Peeta, help me!" Cato pleads.

Peeta can't move, the sight before him causing him to laugh along with the rest of the group.

"Peeta, baby, please come help me!" begs Cato in between fits of laughter from being tickled.

Peeta goes over to help Cato but at the last minute changes his mind. He pretends to lie on top of the kids that are on top of Cato. "Aww _baby_, what's the matter? Can't keep the kids from tickling you?"

"Peeta, if you don't help me," Cato begins.

"Chill out Muscles," Clove interrupts. "Give us a second to move."

As Peeta and Clove get up to let the kids up which would let Cato up, the whole gang came over and piled on the bed knocking Clove and Peeta back on top of the kids. The others were laughing like idiots. Unfortunately for Cato, when Clove and Peeta were knocked over they bumped one of the youngest kids whose foot kick Cato's inner thigh narrowly missing his nuts. Cato's grunt of pain was heard by Peeta who managed to get everyone off him quickly. The three 5 year olds were standing in front of Cato looking at their feet knowing that Cato got hurt because of one of them. When Cato sits up, he sees their dejected little faces. He calls them closer to him and tells them that it was an accident and none of them are in trouble. They smile at him and he smiles back. Cato turns to Peeta who was standing next to the bed and pulls him onto his lap, whispering a thank you before giving him a chaste kiss. The three little ones were still there watching, giggling before Gale lead them back to the area where they'd been sitting earlier.

Clove walks up to the couple with a sandwich in her hand, "Eat up Muscles. This is from Mr. Mellark. You slept through breakfast and lunch Sleepyhead."

Peeta goes to get up so that Cato could eat but Cato wouldn't let him. "Stay with me," he requests before unwrapping his sandwich.

"Always," Peeta replies leaning back against Cato laying his head on the other's shoulder.

The others straggle back to sit in a circle again. Peeta observes that Rie is sitting next to Foxface, Wheet is sitting next to Johanna, and Delly was sitting next to Tavin all three couples looked to be conversing quietly. Clove and Gale were entertaining the twins and Cleo. Marvel and Katniss were playing with Posy and Vick. Prim and Rory were talking with Gaius. Peeta smiles at the sight of everyone.

Cato finishes his sandwich and wraps his arms around Peeta causing the younger boy to sigh happily. "I was thinking that I want to stay here with you tonight," Cato says casually causing Peeta to turn and look at him.

"Really? You want to stay here tonight?" Peeta asks happily.

"Mmhmm," Cato replies. "If your dad says it's okay with him," he adds. He turns looking into Peeta's eyes, "You're having nightmares now and I want to be here for you. I want you to wake me up so I can make you feel better. You needed me last night and I wasn't there for you. You ended up with Finnick." He turns and looks away, "It was hard for me to see you with him like that. It hurt Peeta. I thought I lost you," Cato admits sadly.

Peeta makes Cato look at him. "I'm not going anywhere. And we'll get my dad to agree to let you stay," he tells the older boy. "I personally don't think we'll have a problem getting him to agree though. Especially when you consider the fact that I was presumed missing. As for Finnick, nothing happened and it never will." He gives Cato a flirtatious grin lowering his voice, "After what happened the other morning, do you really think I'd leave you? That was an amazing experience. The best actually," he says honestly.

Cato looks at Peeta with disbelief written clearly on his face, "You think I'm going to believe that? I know how 'experienced' Finnick is. I've seen the Capitol women that swoon at his feet and heard the rumors at how great he is."

Peeta shakes his head. "He may be 'experienced' as you put it, but that doesn't necessarily make him a great lover. And we both know the women from the Capitol are idiots." Peeta leans to whisper in Cato's ear, "If they had you, they'd all be asking 'Finnick who?'"

Cato looks at Peeta questioningly and Peeta just nods. Cato finally smiles widely before pulling the other boy in for a kiss. As they are both aware that there are young children in the room with them, it was kept rather tame. Peeta whisper's in Cato's ear one more time, "As soon as we get back to our room, I'll show you how great the last time was for me by returning the favor."

"Promise?" Cato whispers back hoping Peeta would tell him more of what he could expect.

"Try and stop me," Peeta whispers as he nips at Cato's ear lobe. He stands up and heads over to the group when he hears a low groan from Cato.

Cato stays on the bed. Between Peeta's promise and watching him walk away, he has a fricken boner. He hopes they'll be out of the damn cavern bunker soon. It wasn't long before he was able to sit by Peeta playing games with the kids.

Hazel, Lily, and Ceteria came to get the kids for dinner and the teens joined them. When Peeta sees his dad, he apologizes for making him worry and explained that he was helping Finnick with the baby and fell asleep. Fennel, who had heard about where Peeta was and what happened to Haymitch, Brutus, and Annie through Finnick, told his son that everything was forgiven. When Cato asks to stay with the Mellark family to help Peeta with his nightmares, Fennel gave his blessing, as long as his parents were okay with it. Ceteria and Maxamilian both said yes when asked.

After dinner, Hazel took baby Finn so that Finnick could go with Cinna, Portia, and the rest of the young rebels. Cinna led the group to the shower area where they would change. The girls go in and come out in a black spandex pants ant white spandex like t-shirts. The guys go next and come out in black spandex pants and red skin hugging t-shirts.

"The outfits you are wearing will help absorb any sweat, keeping you dry under your propo outfits," Portia tells them when they're all back together.

"Alright gentlemen, your jackets are based on an early 21st century leather motorcycle jacket." He holds up a jacket that is black and red. The red is on the back, front, and a strip that goes from the top of the shoulder to below the elbow. "You'll notice that the red areas seem a little thicker than the black part. That's because the red areas have been reinforced with a bulletproof material." Portia and Cinna hand out the jackets and the guys put them on, zipping them up. "They are form fitting and allow for moving. So no matter what weapon Beetee has designed for you, you should be able to use them with no problems," Cinna tells them.

"You girls have a similar jacket to the guys only instead of being red, yours are white," Portia says as her and Cinna hand out the girl's jackets. They put them on.

Cinna holds up a pair of pants, "These pants are made of a similar material as your jackets. You'll notice the bulletproofing on the front, back, and outer sides of your thighs. It's also on the shins and calves. You can see reinforced, extra padding on the knee and butt areas. That's in case you are running and have to slide to safety. Again, you guys are in red and black and girls in white and black." The group pull on the pants.

Portia pulls out a helmet, "This is your helmet. As we will be filming down here today, you won't need them. But if and when we film outside, you will need to wear them. All helmets will be all black."

Just then Plutarch Heavensbee and his assistant, Fulvia Cardew arrive.

"Oh, don't they look fabulous!" exclaims Plutarch. "Glad to see you all. I just want to say a couple things before we get started. First – this propo we're filming tonight is just to show everyone in Panem that you all are alive and well, ready to help the rebels. Next – until we get out of the bunker, all our propos will have a similar format. None of you will have to speak directly into the camera. And finally – we want you to just relax and not worry about the cameras. I think that's about it. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know." he says before consulting with Fulvia.

Moments later 2 men and a woman walk up. Plutarch introduces them as Castor, Pollux, and Cressida. Plutarch explains that the two men will be filming and, when the time comes Cressida will interview them for the cameras. The men indicate that they are ready to film.

Plutarch, Fulvia, and Cressida discuss what to film first. They decide the best place to start will be with the group and their families and friends. Plutarch lets the group know of their idea before discussing where to film.

"Um, Plutarch sir," Peeta stutters running over to speak to the man. "There is something you need to know, that might even help the propo. It's about Delly Cartwright and Madge Undersee."

"My dear boy, I already know their families didn't make it here to district 13. When it comes time to film them, we'll just get them interacting with members of the district," Plutarch says dismissively towards Peeta.

"Sir, they do have family here," Peeta says with a commanding tone in his voice. "Delly is my twin sister and Madge just happens to be my cousin. I just wanted to let you know they'll be staying with Rie and I as well as my brother Wheet," Peeta adds is a condescending voice before stomping off back to the group.

"What was that about Peet?" Delly asks watching Peeta carefully."

"Just letting Plutarch know that my _sister _and _cousin _will be with the rest of their family during the propos," he replies smiling his infectious grin at her.

Cato comes up behind Peeta and wraps his arms around him, "You know, you look pretty damn hot in that outfit baby," Cato whispers in his ear.

Peeta turns slightly to look into his lover's eye, "You know, you don't look so bad yourself. I so want to rip those off you right now. You have no idea," Peeta whispers back. His attention diverted when Plutarch speaks.

"Alright, let's get this done. We're going to film you all in the dining hall with your families," Plutarch says determinedly. He starts walking, leading them towards their destination.

The filming takes less than 2 hours. Plutarch is excited about some of the footage they filmed. There's Peeta and Rie with their older brother, father, long lost sister, and cousin reminiscing about when they were younger. Next is Finnick just being with his son like a normal father would. And then there's the footage they got with the families from the 'career' districts supporting the rebels and the rebellion. Cato and Marvel are star figures of those scenes. Plutarch thinks Coin will be pleased with the footage once they get it edited properly.

Cinna takes the young rebels to where they could change back into their other clothes. Tigris had washed what they had been wearing while they were filming with Pollux and Castor.

That night as Peeta slept in Cato's arms, safe and warm in the knowledge that nothing could happen to him, he suffered no nightmares. Neither did Cato. Not only were there no bad dreams, but both boys got their first night of real good, replenishing sleep since before the reapings.

A pattern emerged over the next couple of days. After breakfast, the young rebel team would play games with the younger siblings. After lunch, the younger children of District 13, those aged 4 to 13, would join in as well to play games such as Freeze Tag and Hide-n-Seek. Castor and Pollux, who always kept a video camera on them at all times, would video tape the teens playing with the younger children. They were able to record in secret, not even disclosing their tapes to Plutarch. The worst part of the day was after dinner when they were led back down to the shower area and got into their propo costume. They were filmed saying various anti-Capitol and anti-Snow slogans. Peeta's personal favorite was 'Snow needs to go!' (**AN: slogan credit goes to Rolyn ;) who suggested it)**.

At night when Peeta would wake from nightmares of death, particularly of his boyfriend, Cato was there next to him, holding him tightly, whispering in his ear, promising that Peeta would always be safe. But Peeta learns he's not the only one plagued by nightmare. Katniss admits to having them as well. Hers stars the dog mutts from the ruined city as well as the tributes she saw die. Marvel gets permission to stay with the Everdeen family. This works especially well when Lily and Prim get called to the medical area to help with the sick and injured.

The morning of their fifth day stuck way underground, they get word that they will soon be heading back to the upper levels. But first they have to all work together to get the bunker back into the condition it was in before they went down. It takes most of the morning, but soon enough everyone is taking turns piling into the elevator and heading back to their own rooms. Unfortunately for the young rebel team, they were not allowed to go to their rooms just yet. President Coin orders them to go out and inspect the damage from the bombs and record any and all moments pertaining to the war effort.

The team meets up with Cinna, Portia, and Tigris, getting into their propo outfits, and much to their disbelief – heading outside. They are excited, relieved, and worried about being outside in the open considering everything that had happened to them in the past week. The best footage that was caught was when they saw firsthand the damage done by the bombs they never felt or heard so far underground.

There were large craters everywhere. Some of the more deep ones were located in an area that had been part of the original underground bunker area over fifty years ago. They had moved the district to a whole new bunker area when they realized that the ground they had been digging in wasn't as stable as originally thought. There was a massive cave-in that had cost the lives of many civilians. The population had actually been cut by a quarter. It was pure luck that the area where District 13 is located now was being constructed as an expansion. Fortunately for everyone there, the Capitol didn't know about the cave-in or the new bunker expansion.

When they reached the final crater, it ended up being the hardest for Peeta, Marvel, Katniss, Gale, and Rie. The crater was filled with flowers, millions of dark purple tulips, yellow tipped orange tulips, purple rue flowers, and white rue flowers. Only Peeta and Marvel knew that the colors of tulips in the pit were a favorite of Glimmer. Gale, Rie, Peeta and Katniss were the only ones who knew what the other flowers were. It hurt them in a way the others couldn't understand, especially Peeta who knew the meaning behind both flower types. He saw the message that President Snow was sending – no one was safe. Peeta turned to Castor and Pollux. He looked right into the camera and asked, no begged, the other districts to join the rebellion and take out the horrid dictator that had an affinity for killing the innocent children of the districts. Soon the other 10 members of his new squad were adding in their pleas, begging for help to end Snow's reign of terror.

President Coin was watching the activities from a distance. She was curious to see how the young tribute/rebel squad was doing. Oh sure she had her reports from people like Jackson, Holmes, Leeg 1, Leeg 2, and Boggs. But the woman had to see for herself what was special about this particular group. The time and effort it took to build her army of District 13 members as well as those who wanted to rebel was finally beginning to pay off. If these kids from the arena could convince the other district to join her rebellion, her forces would be unstoppable. Once Snow was gone, her grab for ultimate power would be complete. She plans on ruling with an iron fist. Unlike Snow who used the threat of death against the children to rule, Coin was going to let the districts relax before she changed the laws. The games would eventually continue, but only with law breaking citizens. In her games, to win was to earn a pardon. The number of 'tributes' would be determined by the number of law breakers. And watching the group in front of her, she decided on what her first law would be – the ban of same sex relationships. She personally didn't have a problem with those that were gay. But if Peeta and Cato survive the war, they could become a problem that would need to be dealt with. She watched the couple walk back to the door that would take them back underground. Yes, she knew that the couple would be the first of those to be rid of.

Peeta and Cato didn't realize that they were being watched. They were too wrapped up in their thoughts that they were going to have a chance to be alone. Something they thought was never going to happen. They didn't say anything out loud for fear that something – or someone – would interrupt. Both boys would catch the other's eye, seeing their thoughts and desires reflected in the others. Each little touch would send jolts of desire running through their bodies. If they could, if no one else was around, they would just rip off their clothes then and there and fuck in the dirt. But they waited, with the patience even a saint could admire. When it was time to head back in, they both fought the urge to grab the other and run straight to their room. They let Portia and Cinna do their job, to make sure their outfits were given back in the condition they were received. They were both ready to head back to their room when Rie, Wheet, Delly, and Johanna reminded them they would have to go to dinner first.

Dinner was a long drawn out affair in their eyes. The only thing that helped them keep their sanity was the knowledge that as soon as dinner was over, they could beeline back to their room. That plan almost flew out the window when Boggs said that he needed to talk to them. But thankfully, gratefully, happily it was just to remind them that as soon as breakfast was over tomorrow they had a quick meeting with Coin before their gun test.

Leaving the dining hall, both boys tried hard not to make it obvious that they weren't 'running for the door'. The only person to figure out what was going on was Finnick. But he should recognize the signs – they were the same ones he and Peeta showed when they were off for a night of love making, sex, passion, fucking. Whatever one wanted to call what they did.

Peeta and Cato managed to get the elevator all to themselves. They made use of their short bit of privacy. Their lips crashed together, their tongues fighting each other, tasting the other, trying to dominate. Their finger tangled tightly in each other's hair, holding the other close. It wasn't a kiss to end all kisses, filled with romance and love. It was a kiss that let the other know of the desire, the fire that was all consuming, and the promise of more to come. The ding of the elevator was what broke the kiss.

Knowing that some of the others were already in their rooms, they walked at a normal pace, hand in hand, fearful of anyone hearing them walk down the hall. Once inside the room, Peeta lets go of Cato's hand and walks to the bathroom. As he goes, he slowly begins to undress, dropping the clothes on the ground, revealing himself to Cato's eyes, letting him see the skin that was begging for his touch, his normally double knotted boots never tied. By the time Peeta reached the bathroom door, he was left only in his boxer briefs.

Peeta turns and looks at Cato who was still standing by the door, winking before dropping the underwear and going into the bathroom.

Cato, stunned from watching Peeta, quickly locks the door and undresses himself before rushing into the bathroom. He finds Peeta already in the shower. He joins him, taking one of the two bars of soap from Peeta's hands. Staring into one another's eyes, they slowly lather the neck, chest, and abs of the other. Peeta squats down first and begins to wash Cato's feet and legs. He pauses once, to teasingly take Cato's manhood into his mouth for a quick suck before grabbing Cato's hips and spinning him around to wash the backside of his lover.

Cato luxuriates in the feelings of Peeta's hands rubbing on his skin. He lets Peeta take his time, knowing that when it's his turn he'll return the favor to Peeta. When Peeta turns him, Cato is even more turned on than before. There's something exciting about not being able to see what Peeta's doing. The feeling of Peeta's soapy hands on his ass sends Cato to the edge. He spins around and kisses Peeta hard. For Cato, the time for teasing is over. He quickly makes sure that Peeta is washed and rinsed off before pushing up against the back of the shower. He kneels down and takes Peeta's stiff cock into his mouth, his left hand gently caressing Peeta's nut sack. He feels Peeta's hands in his hair, gently encouraging Cato to take him deeper in his mouth.

Peeta looks down and watches as Cato's mouth glides along his shaft. The soft moan that escapes his lips causes Cato to increase his speed and change his technique. He swirls his tongue along the head of the shaft, flicking the tip of his tongue over the sensitive spot on the backside of the head, before flattening out to caress the underside as he slides back down the shaft. Peeta leans his head back, eyes closing, against the shower wall as Cato's right hand slides up to Peeta's side, a silent request to keep Peeta from bucking his hips. It doesn't take long before Peeta lets go and releases into Cato's mouth.

Cato swallows Peeta's load, licking him clean before licking his own lips clean. Peeta looks down, eyes sparkling. He sees a little cum on Cato's chin and wipes it with his finger. Before he knows it, Cato takes that finger and licks it clean as well. Cato stands up and kisses Peeta. Peeta can taste himself on Cato's lips, a reminder of what just occurred. Cato leans down to whisper in Peeta's ear, "Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight baby."

Peeta does as he's told and feels Cato lift him. Peeta immediately wraps his legs around Cato's waist as Cato widens his stance. He can feel Cato at his entrance and begs, "Please Cato," as he rests his forehead against Cato's.

Cato gently pushes against Peeta and feels himself slowly entering. He looks into Peeta's eye's and sees his own lust filled thoughts reflected in them.

Peeta relaxes his legs a little helping Cato to slide deeper into him. He kisses Cato, their tongues battling for dominance. He pulls back slightly, his arms loosely around Cato's neck and his shoulders resting against the shower wall.

Cato takes Peeta's moving as a signal and slowly begins to move his hips, slowly sliding in and out. The two move together in a rhythm, Cato's cock hitting Peeta's spot, their moans combining. When Peeta starts moaning, "Cato, please, faster." Cato does as he's told. It doesn't take long before Peeta lets loose again, shooting his load over the both of them. Peeta's walls contracting causes Cato to release his own load while calling out Peeta's name. Peeta lowers his legs to stand on his own two feet.

"Wow! That was…" Peeta says unable to describe what he was feeling. "Who knew showers could be so much fun."

"I know," Cato agrees, panting. "I've been wanting to do that since the last time."

The two get back under the water and wash off before heading back into their room. They crawl into Cato's bed, neither one caring to put on any clothes.

**I made this chapter a little longer in hopes that you would all forgive me for taking so long to update. I will try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Again, I am sorry it took me so long to get this one up.**


	17. Chapter 17: Nightmares and Family Meetin

_**The Games We Played**_

**Welcome back lovely readers. To those who've been with since the beginning to those who have just followed my story, I just want to say thank you. To those that review, I appreciate your words – whether it's to critique or encourage. Just knowing someone is reading encourages me to continue.**

**Sorry this took so long for me to post. I had two family birthdays this week, my sister and my husband. I took my husband out to dinner and a movie – **_**Hansel & Gretel – Witch Hunters**_**. Then we did a family dinner tonight at **_**Applebee's**_**. Couldn't pass up half price appetizers and drinks. Then my sister-in-law went to the hospital with stroke like symptoms but ended up being downgraded to a severe migraine. Can't wait to see what this week brings…**

_**lincolnlog89**_**: The whole 'Cato is missing' did what it was expected to do, lol. Had a lot of fun with the shower scene ;). As for them playing Duck, Duck, Goose – wanted to lighten the mood a little, bring in the younger family members of our ex-tributes. Yeah, Coin - Blah. Leonitus will be back – in the flesh soon so to speak.**

_**yuntani**_**: Johanna almost ended up on the chopping block, but I just couldn't do it. I felt bad killing off Annie since there is an infant involved, but there is a reason. I had fun trying to figure out the propo outfits. Then I pulled my husband's motorcycle jacket out from the back of out closet and inspiration hit. I'm happy the shower scene was liked. And thank you.**

_**MangoMagic**_**: I had a very nerve-wracking time writing the fight Peeta and Cato. I was very happy with what I posted in the end. Posy is one of my favorite characters to write for. **

Chapter 17: Nightmares and Family Meetings

_He awakens in room with a dim light coming from the bare bulb above him. He looks around; there is no one in the room with him. He hears sounds coming from the other side of the door. Or maybe from somewhere beyond the door._

_He slowly tries to sit up, checking for any injuries. He finds no obvious ones, although his muscles feel a little weak. He tries to stand up but ends up on his knees. He slowly crawls over to the door to listen. He can hear voices, female ones, familiar ones. One sounds like Annie. She's crying softly for Finnick in a sad, broken way. The next voice sounds like Johanna. She's begging someone to keep the water away from her. The third voice is familiar to him as well. It sounds a lot like Enobaria. She's telling someone that she has no idea who took Finnick, Beetee, and Katniss from the arena or where they could've gone. It's a strange thing to be saying as Finnick and Beetee were never in the arena as far as he could remember. Neither was Johanna, Annie, or Enobaria for that matter. _

_He crawls back to the cot he was on when he awoke. He's really confused now. He's fairly certain there were no mentors in the arena with him, but he can't remember any of it. It's beginning to give him a headache, trying to remember the arena and who was there with him._

_As he gets back on the cot to lie back down, he hears footsteps walking in the hall outside his door. He hears a voice saying that they need to get the boy, that President Snow has plans for him. Does the voice mean him? What could Snow have planned for him? The footsteps stop outside his door and he can hear keys being rattled. He hears a key being put into the lock. He watches as the doorknob turns and the door is thrown open. He watches as four figures dressed in peacekeeper uniforms walk in. As they walk over to him, he thinks he recognizes one of them. It looks like Leonitus. Surely he'll help him, tell him what's going to happen._

"_On your feet boy!" one of the other peacekeepers says. "President Snow wants to show you something."_

_When he doesn't get up fast enough, two of the men pull him up. They grab his arms when they realize his legs are about to give out, unable to support his weight. He looks at Leonitus, hoping for him to do something, say anything to give him an idea of what's going to happen. _

_Leonitus doesn't say anything; he just leads the way to the door. The two peacekeepers holding him drag him along behind Leonitus. The fourth peacekeeper follows behind them all. They walk down a long hallway, passing several doors. He wonders who or what are behind them. He's led to the last door at the very end of the hallway. The door opens and the go in. _

_It's a fairly large room. There's a couple chains connected to the ceiling with handcuffs attached to them with more on the ground just under the ones hanging. A drain hole is there as well and a hose attached to the wall a couple feet away. There's also something hidden underneath a sheet nearby the chains. He doesn't even want to know what's under the sheet. He sees a stretcher with straps on it next to a chair that is bolted to the ground. On the chair are also restraints. He's led to the chair and strapped in by his ankles and wrists. He begins to get a really bad feeling about this room. As his head is strapped, he notices a TV screen in front of him. The four peacekeepers, including Leonitus, go stand against the wall on the other side of the stretcher. Moments later, President Snow walks in._

"_Hello my boy!" he says in a sickly sweet voice. "Glad you could join me. There's a video I want you to see." The smell coming from the president – blood and roses – makes him want to puke._

_He sees the President turn on the TV and watches as images of bombs going off, destroying what looks like a village. It could be one of the districts but he can't be sure. As he watches, he feels like he should recognize this place but doesn't. Then something catches his eye in the video, a blonde figure running from the bombs. He stares at the figure, knowing he recognizes it but can't place who it is or why he knows them. He searches his memory but comes up empty, only increasing his headache. He forgets everything as he watches the blonde fly through the air, flames licking the backside of the person. A scream escapes his lips, "NO!"_

_The video stops, Snow shuts off the TV, and comes to stand in front of him, "Now, you see what the people who took Finnick, Beetee, and Katniss did. I want to know where they were taken."_

_He hears himself say, "I don't know sir. I don't even remember being in the arena with any of them. Well, except maybe for Katniss. And I know there were others there too. I just can't remember. I'm certain that I don't remember Finnick or Beetee being there."_

_Snow looks at him, anger glowing in his eyes scaring him. "Listen here young man, you WILL tell me what I want to know. Even if I have to beat the shit out of you!" he spits as he motions the peacekeepers forward. Snow steps back as Leonitus steps up in front of him. He tries pleading with Leonitus using his eyes. Leonitus just smirks. He hears Snow speak again._

"_I'm going to ask you one last time and I don't want to hear any excuses," Snow says from his new position. "Who took them and where did they go?"_

"_I don't know!" he exclaims. "How could I if I'm here with you?"_

_Snow shakes his head sadly. "You were warned," he says before heading to the door. He turns to Leonitus, "No facial damage please. He has an 'interview' with Caesar Flickerman later this week."_

"_Yes sir," Leonitus responds as Snow exits the room. He turns back to face the boy in the chair. "This is going to be so much fun," he says as his fist flies towards the boy's stomach, knocking the wind out of him._

_The beating lasted for what seemed like forever. Each of the peacekeepers taking a turn. The boy learns that the most vicious of them was called Romulus Thread. The only thing that kept the boy sane was thinking of the familiar looking blonde figure in the video. He can't think of the name, but knows he's important to him somehow. He feels the need to keep that figure safe._

_He's soon dragged back to his room and thrown on the cot, a groan escaping his lips. Leonitus walks up to the cot where the boy has laid down on his back. He squats down and says, "Sorry about earlier Sweetheart. It breaks my heart to see you in this condition." Leonitus then leans forward to place a chaste kiss upon his lips. "I'll see you again soon Lover," he says as he stands. Soon he's out the door and the boy can hear it being locked._

_He lies there trying not to move because of the pain. He can hear Johanna screaming and realizes that when she screams, the light flickers above him. When the screams stop, Annie's ramblings begin fluctuations in volume. He tries to sleep but it's almost like someone knows that and do what they can to keep him awake. It gets so bad; he realizes he can't even remember his own name! Even worse, he can't get the feeling of Leonitus' lips off his own. _

_His days in the cell begin to blend together. He did the interview with Caesar but refused to answer any questions, which got him more beatings. And they cut back on his food. He can see he's losing weight. He's all but given up. The only thing that keeps him going is the boy with blonde hair and blue eyes he dreamt about one night. He knows the boy, knows he has feelings for the boy._

_The peacekeepers come again to torture him yet again. This time things seem different. Leonitus is usually the leader and Thread brings up the rear. Today is different, the two men switch places. As he walks, he realizes why. Leonitus keeps grabbing his ass, sometimes pinching it hard. It makes him feel dirty._

_There's something different about the room today. The chair has been moved and the stretcher is in front of it. As he's being strapped in, he realizes the stretcher is at eye level with him. It's then that he sees the screen partition. He can see there's a figure behind it. _

_Thread and Leonitus go behind the screen and bring the figure out. It's a male, wearing only a pair of boxers and a hood. There are bruises up and down his body, matching the ones the boy in the chair has. The boy is placed on the stretcher and is strapped down. Before the head is strapped, Thread pulls the hood off with a threat, "You speak, and we will remove your tongue." The boy on the bed nods before having his head turned towards the boy in the chair._

_The boy in the chair gasps. It's the blonde haired blue eyed boy from his dream. The boy on the cot gasps as well. While the two boys look at each other, there is a commotion outside the door. The door opens to reveal President Snow and Seneca Crane. They can't see him as their heads were strapped to face the other._

"_As you can see Seneca, I'm attempting to try a new method of getting the two of them to talk," the two boys hear Snow say. "Leonitus, my good boy, get Seneca a chair. He's going to join us for this event."_

"_Yes sir Mr. President," Leonitus says as he rushes out of the room. He returns quickly with the chair before heading to his spot with the other peacekeepers._

_Once Seneca is seated, President Snow takes his seat and explains what's going to happen. "Since neither boy wants to confess where the others were taken when asked separately, I have decided that one will be punished while the other is punished."_

"_How do you know they'll tell the truth sir?" Seneca asks._

"_Simple, the boys love each other. They don't want to see the other hurting," the President replies. _

"_What form of punishment are you using sir?" Seneca asks excitement in his voice._

"_Leonitus, show Seneca the knife," Snow orders._

_Leonitus grabs the knife from the table next to the stretcher and brings it over to Seneca._

"_That looks very sharp. It should cut the skin easily," Seneca remarks._

"_Indeed," says Snow. "Shall we begin?" Seneca nods his head. Snow motions for Leonitus to take his position next to the stretcher._

_The boy in the chair barely heard the conversation between the two men after he heard the President call the beautiful boy on the stretcher his love. He could see the two of them together and believes what he's heard. The problem was he couldn't even remember the boy's name. Great boyfriend he is._

"_Not going to answer the question, huh?" he hears Snow say. "Leonitus, you may begin."_

_The boy in the chair watches as Leonitus brings the blade across the upper thigh of the other boy. The boy screams in pain but doesn't say anything to any of them. The boy in the chair watches the tears fall down the other boy's face. He finds his voice, "Stop! I don't know anything! And apparently neither does he. Why are you doing this?" he screams._

"_That's four more Leonitus." Snow says before responding "We know that you were teamed up with Katniss, Finnick, and Beetee. Johanna was also a part of your group. It's too bad she didn't stab Katniss in the heart. Instead, she just removed the tracker in her arm. Pathetic little Victor that she is."_

_The boy in the chair watches as four more slices are made on the other boy's legs. What the two of them realize almost simultaneously is that Leonitus is cutting a little too deep. The boy on the stretcher was expecting to die; he's been expecting it for a while now. How the boy in the chair knows this, he isn't sure. He just knows._

_With each cut being made, the boy on the stretcher screams. This causes the boy in the chair to pull against his restraints, trying to stop the injuries being inflicted. The boy in the chair speaks again, "Please stop! We don't know anything. We just don't know," he cries, tears pouring down his cheeks as he watches the other boy grow more and more pale._

"_Three more Leonitus," Snow says._

"_I'm so sorry," the boy in the chair tells the other boy. The boy on the stretcher smiles a knowing smile._

"_Make that a total of four Leonitus," Snow says waiting to see if more will be added._

_The boy in the chair watches as Leonitus cuts across the abdomen four times. Each cut a little too deep. The boy on the stretcher screams with each slice. The boy in the chair cries. The two boys stare at each other. The boy on the stretcher mouths 'I love you'. The boy in the chair mouths it back. Soon the boy on the stretcher closes his eyes. There are so many cuts marring his skin now, the boy in the chair is surprised the other boy has lasted as long as he has. The boy in the chair watches as the other boy stops breathing. He waits, hoping to see the other boy's chest rise again but it doesn't._

_The boy in the chair screams. He screams the name of the boy on the stretcher –_

"_PEETA!"_

Peeta jumps awake when he hears Cato call out his name. He sits up and turns towards Cato, curious as to why the older boy yelled his name. Instead, he can hear him talking in his sleep. Some of the things he says confuses the younger boy.

"I told you, I don't know who took Finnick, Beetee, and Katniss!"

"It's not my fault! He cut him too deep."

"I'm so sorry Peeta."

"Can't I have just a moment with him?"

"I love you Peeta. I always will."

"Don't worry my love; I will avenge your death."

When Peeta sees the tears flowing down Cato's face he moves to wake Cato up. He shakes the older boy gently, "Cato, baby, wake up."

Cato sits up quickly, not sure where he is.

Peeta, not wanting to freak out Cato any more than he already is, talks softly to him. "Cato honey, you're okay. It was just a nightmare. Only a nightmare."

Cato's head whips around to face Peeta, startling the younger boy. With eyes wide and unsure, Cato hesitantly reaches up with his right hand and touches Peeta's face.

Peeta smiles as he leans into Cato's touch, loving how gentle the touch is.

"I watched you die," Cato says shakily. "I watched as you bled to death." He runs his hands over Peeta's face, shoulders.

"It was just a dream love. A very bad one from the way you screamed my name," Peeta tells him looking deep into the other boy's icy blue eyes. "Haven't you ever had a nightmare before?"

"Not since I was little," Cato admits. "And never anything like that. It felt like it went on for days." He looks over at the clock and sees it's a little after 2 in the morning.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Peeta asks gently.

"Not really," Cato says. "I'd really rather just hold you. Is that okay?"

"That is doable," Peeta says smiling. They both lay down. Cato's on his back and Peeta snuggled up against his side, his head on Cato's shoulder, arm draped across Cato's waist, and his leg over Cato's legs.

Cato wraps his arms around Peeta, pulling him as close as he can, "It was bad Peeta. I was being held by Snow. Johanna and Annie were there as well. He, he had me beaten and tortured by Leonitus. I couldn't even remember my name. Snow kept asking me where Katniss, Beetee, and Finnick were and who took them. I had no idea. Then you were brought in with me. Leonitus kept cutting you, several were deep. One was so deep that we both knew you were going to die. You told me you loved me before you died." Cato's voice breaking on the last sentence.

Peeta tilts his head to look up at Cato. He sees tears welling in the older boy's eyes. He adjusts his body so that he is half lying on Cato, leaning on his elbow to get a better look at his boyfriend's face.

"Cato, I know how you're feeling. I've had a few of those nightmares myself. Hell, I lived a real-life scare of you dying our first day in the arena," he says staring into Cato's eyes. "To me, that was more scary than any nightmare. And we weren't even a couple yet, though I had wished we were," Peeta admits shyly.

"Gale told me to be patient the night we fought. To give you time and let you come to me. It was so very hard. When I saw you on the platform, I wanted to swim over to you." Cato admits freely. "It wasn't until I saw you again on the beach by the cornucopia that I knew I never wanted to let you go."

"I was so happy when you opened your beautiful eyes after being thrown," Peeta smiles. "That is one of my favorite memories." He can see that remembering their happier times is helping Cato. "I'm thinking that whenever one of us has a nightmare, we should remind each other of one of our favorite happy memories."

Cato pulls Peeta so that he's lying completely on top of him, their naked bodies pressing together, "And then we can do this," he whispers huskily before pulling Peeta's face closer and kissing him.

The kiss deepens quickly and hips begin to grind together. Cato growls deeply and Peeta thinks it's the sexiest thing he's ever heard. Until Cato pulls away, looking up into his lust filled eyes.

"Peeta, I want _you_ to make love to me. I want to feel you inside of me," Cato tells Peeta serious.

Peeta is stunned. It takes him a moment to speak. When he does, it's to ask, "Are you sure?"

"More than you'll ever know," Cato replies running his hands over Peeta's bare back.

"One more question," Peeta says. "Have you ever done that before? Been on the receiving end?" he asks, remembering his first time.

Cato sees Peeta's blush and finds it endearing. "No, but I know that I want to and I want it to be you." He takes Peeta's hand and places three fingers in his mouth, sucking them sensually causing Peeta to gasp.

Between the feeling of his fingers in Cato's mouth and the thought of being Cato's first makes Peeta harder than he's ever been. Once his fingers are good and wet, he slowly pulls them from Cato's mouth and gives him a quick kiss before moving down the older boy's body.

Cato puts his feet flat on the bed, knees bent, legs spread wide as he watches Peeta.

Peeta takes Cato's hard cock into his mouth as he places a finger at Cato's opening. Flicking his tongue over the sensitive spot just below the head, he gently pushes his finger in to the first knuckle. He hears Cato grunt and tighten around his finger. "Cato, baby, you need to relax," he says before wrapping his lips back around Cato's cock. As he slowly bobs his head, he also slowly pushes his finger in farther.

Cato listens to Peeta and before he knows it, he can feel more than one finger inside him, brushing against his spot causing a more intense feeling of pleasure. He wants more.

"Peeta, please, I want you now," he pants when he feels the younger boy brush against _that_ spot again.

Peeta gently pulls his fingers out before using his own spit to slick himself and placing himself at Cato's entrance. He slides the head of his cock in and pauses a moment letting Cato adjust. He slowly pushes in, pausing only when he notices Cato flinch in pain, letting him adjust to the new feeling.

Soon, the two boys are moving in a slow rhythm, each reveling in the new experience.

Cato looks up at Peeta and begs, "Peeta, faster, harder, now, please!"

Peeta complies and begins to move his hips faster and pushing in harder. The increased speed and harder thrusts causes Peeta to consistently hit Cato's spot, eliciting loud moans from both boys.

"Oh shit, Peeta, I'm gonna…." Cato gets out, back arched, before his neck, chest, and abdomen are covered with his own cum.

The feeling of Cato's walls gripping his cock sends Peeta over the edge and he releases his own load while calling out Cato's name. Peeta slowly lays himself down on Cato, trying to catch his breath.

"Wow," Cato says in awe.

"I agree," Peeta says smiling as he slowly pulls out from Cato and slides to Cato's side. "Are you okay? Was that good?" he asks nervously as he gets comfortable.

Cato lifts Peeta's chin to look him in the eye, "I think it was great, why are you asking?" he knows something was different for Peeta but no certain what.

Peeta shifts his eyes from seeing Cato's and shyly replies, "That was the first time I have ever been on the giving side."

Cato leans down to kiss Peeta's head and says honestly, "I never would have guessed."

A few minutes later, and before they both fell asleep, Cato suggests taking a shower and sleeping in the other bed. It was 20 minutes later when both boys were snuggled together, asleep in the other bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

Following breakfast the next morning, Peeta and Cato joined the others for Coin's meeting. They were both a little tired from the activities, and nightmare, from the night before. Whenever they would look in the eyes of the other, they would share a knowing smile.

Coin walks in and gets right to it, "Good morning soldiers. Today you will go down and be tested on the firing range. From there, you will be divided into two groups. The first group will be the sniper squad and the other group will be the ground squad. Is this understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," they reply.

"Good. Now Soldier Canelos, after lunch today you are to join your father and begin helping with the beginner hand-to-hand combat training." Coin says looking at him.

"Yes ma'am," Cato replies.

"Soldiers Everdeen, Hawthorne, and Peeta Mellark, you will be meeting with Jackson after lunch. She will set you up with your weapons and tracking devices. You will have two hours. Understood?" she asks.

"Yes ma'am," they reply.

"The rest of you will follow your schedules and go to your appropriate classes. Are we all clear?"

"Yes ma'am," they all reply.

"Very well. You are all dismissed. Boggs is waiting for you." She says before going out the door.

Boggs leads the large group down to the firing range. But before they begin, he shows them the weapons they will be able to choose from. There are 3 hand guns and 2 rifles.

Boggs picks up one of the hand guns, "This is a Ruger P89. It holds 15 rounds of 9mm ammo in the magazine."

He sets down the Ruger and picks up the next gun, "This is a Sig Sauer P250 full size pistol. It holds 10 rounds of 9mm ammo in the magazine."

He sets down the Sig and picks up the final pistol. "This is a Glock 37. It holds 10 rounds of .45 ammo in the magazine."

He puts the Glock down and steps over to the 2 rifles. He picks up one of them, "This is an AR-15 automatic rifle. The magazine holds 30 rounds of .223 ammo."

Boggs put it down and grabs the other rifle, "This is a Sig Sauer Tactical rifle M400. It also holds 30 rounds of .223 ammo in its magazine."

He sets down the rifle and turns to the group that is gathered, "I'm going to put you in groups of 3. Each group will take a turn and shoot at the targets. Once everyone has gone, you may relax until lunch."

The first group consists of Katniss, Marvel, and Tavin. When they sit down, Clove, Gale, and Johanna take their turn. They're followed by Cato, Delly, and Peeta. When they finish, Madge, Rie, and Wheet go up. The final group to go consists of Enobaria, Finnick, and Haymitch.

"Okay soldiers, I'm going to go study these targets. I'll find you later in the dining hall to let you know who is in the sniper squad." Boggs tells them before waving them off.

Enobaria, Finnick, Johanna, and Haymitch decide to go visit Brutus. "Dr. Aurelius managed to save the leg, but just barely. Brutus will forever have a limp." Haymitch tells the group before he leaves with the other mentors.

"So, what do we do for the next hour or two?" asks Tavin. Ever since he decided to join the rebellion, he has been hanging out more with his brother Marvel and the other surviving tributes. He liked being part of the group.

"Why don't we go down and visit Foxface and Beetee?" suggests Rie, his cheeks turning pink when he sees the questioning look from Peeta. Luckily for Rie, no one else notices.

They head down the hallway to find the special weapons room. They cautiously make their way inside.

Foxface hears the door open and sees her friends walk in. She kind of misses being around them, especially those she spent so much time with in the arena. She leaves the office and rushes over to the group, "Hey guys, how'd it go at the firing range? Do you know who's on what squad?"

"It was really cool," Clove enthuses. "My favorite was the AK-15 rifle."

"I prefer the handguns myself," Delly inputs. "If I had to choose that is."

The others tell their favorite weapon of choice.

"So, it sounds like you don't know who made what squad yet. When will you find out?" Foxface asks.

"Boggs is going to tell us at lunch," Gale says as he checks out the room they were in.

"Ah, tributes, you made it!" Beetee exclaims as he sees them. "I'm sorry; you're no longer tributes but soldiers. Anyway, I'm glad you all came. I can now show you your specialty weapons." He gets ready to lead them to the weapons when he realizes something, "Where's Johanna and Finnick? I have weapons for them as well."

"They went to visit Brutus," Peeta explains.

"Well, I'll just see them later. But now, come, come," Beetee says as he heads towards a wall. He presses a button and the wall slides to reveal 6 bows, a trident, a spear, several knives, several swords, a couple boomerangs, a blow gun, a couple whips, an ax, and a couple sets of ninja stars. "Shall we start?"

"Peeta, my boy, since you are so versatile with weapons, I have designed several for you to choose from," Beetee says grabbing a bow, 2 knives, a sword, and a couple of ninja stars. "Each of these items does something special." He turns to Foxface, "Would you grab the bands dear?" She runs to the other room and comes back with a tray covered in silver looking bands and a wheeled table. She picks up the tray and Beetee places Peeta's weapons on the table.

"These bracelets are specific to each of your DNA," Beetee begins as he looks them over before grabbing one. He puts it on Peeta's wrist and the letters 'PM' begin to glow. "See how the letters glow? That means it recognizes the DNA. Foxface, would you make sure the others get theirs?"

"Sure Beetee," she says as she grabs the next bracelet and puts it on Marvel.

Beetee pulls the table over to a line marked on the floor and turning to make sure Peeta was following. "Each of these items does something special. Let's start with the stars." Beetee steps on a button near him and several dummies like the ones from the training center come out of the ground. He hands Peeta a star, "Press that button in the center and throw it at one of the dummies."

Peeta does what he's told and when the star hits the dummy, it explodes!

"Whoa!" Peeta exclaims excitedly.

"Each star does something different," Beetee explains. He grabs a star, studies it for a moment before calling Clove over. "Clove, you throw this one. Don't forget to push the button."

Clove takes the star, pushes the button, and throws it. It hits the dummy and the points begin to spin around like a chainsaw, cutting through the dummy before dropping to the ground.

"That was wickedly cool! Clove exclaims jumping up and down excitedly.

Beetee grabs the knives and hands one each to Clove and Peeta, "These knives are special too. Press the button on the bottom of the knife, wave the blade over your initial and throw them." Clove and Peeta do as they're told and then each throw their knives. "Now, run your finger over your initials," Beetee says smiling. They do and hear a clanking noise by their feet. They look down and see the knives they just threw. Both are stunned as they pick them back up. Beetee takes the knives and sets them back on the table.

"Marvel, grab the spear and come here. I'll show you your weapon real quick." Beetee says.

As Marvel grabs the spear and walks over towards Beetee, he notices the spear begin to glow. "Uh, why is it glowing?" Marvel asks nervously.

"It recognizes your DNA and bracelet," Beetee explains. "Go ahead and throw it."

Marvel throws it and 30 seconds after impaling the dummy it appears at Marvels feet. He picks it back up, smiling.

"One more thing," Beetee says. "See the button at the bottom? Push it."

Marvel pushes the button and the spear becomes the size of the throwing knives Peeta and Clove had. "Wow! This is so cool." Marvel says excitedly.

"It will make it easier for you to carry in combat and you'll be able to carry several of them at a time," Beetee says as Marvel hands the weapon back.

Beetee picks up the bow and hands it to Peeta, "Gale, Delly, Rie, Madge, and Katniss, please go grab a bow from the wall and join us over here."

Foxface grabs a quiver and hands it to Beetee as the others join Peeta.

"As you can see, there are six different colored arrows here," Beetee begins. He hands the each a different colored arrow. "Orange is fire, blue is ice, green is poison, red is explosive, yellow is electric, and the black is a combo of explosive fire. Fire when ready."

Peeta shoots the orange arrow. Rie shoots the blue arrow. Katniss shoots the green arrow. The poisonous gas is immediately sucked out of the room. Gale shoots the red arrow. Madge shoots the yellow arrow. Delly shoots the black arrow. They were all impressed with what they saw.

Beetee steps on the button and the damaged dummies are replaced by fresh dummies. He trades the bow Peeta was holding for a sword. "Cato, go grab the sword on the wall. Tavin, you grab the whips. The rest of you can put your bows away."

As soon as Cato and Tavin join Peeta at the line, Beetee speaks again. "Boys, please press the buttons on the bottom of your weapons."

Peeta's blade lit up in flames, Cato's blade crackled with electricity, and Tavin's whips also crackled with electricity.

"Tavin, your father told me you were training with whips at the academy in District one," Beetee says smiling at the look on Tavin's face. "Go try them out."

Peeta attacks a dummy causing burn marks. Cato attacks his dummy and it reacts as if it's been electrified. Tavin cracks his whips – one whip leaves an electric burn on the torso while the other wraps around the neck, cutting the head off.

Beetee takes the weapons from the boys after they push the button again turning them off. He turns to the group and calls Wheet over. Foxface brings over the boomerangs and hands one of them to Beetee who hands them over to Wheet. "I want you to try to throw these. Be prepared as they will come back to you. Watch." Beetee throws the boomerang, showing Wheet what to do. Wheet copies what Beetee did and watches as the boomerang cuts into the neck of a dummy before returning.

"There's a button on each of these. One has blades that come out and the other will cause an electric shock. I want you to come back and practice with them later." Beetee says. Wheet nods in agreement.

"Beetee, it's almost time for lunch," Foxface informs him.

"Okay. Let's get these weapons put away and head to lunch," Beetee replies. "Oh, would you guys leave you bracelets here? I have more weapons to DNA link you to."

Foxface grabs the table and takes it over to the wall to put the weapons away. Wheet follows and puts his boomerangs away. Everyone sets their bracelets on the tray before goi8ng to lunch.

As they head out, Peeta notices Cato looks a little down. He grabs Cato's hand and pulls him to the side, "What's wrong baby?"

"Nothing," Cato says before looking Peeta in the eye. He sighs, "I'm just worried about you leaving after lunch," he admits. "Plus, we're going to be separated until dinner. I'm going to miss you."

"First off, I'll miss you too," Peeta says before giving Cato a quick kiss. "Second, I'm a hunter. I'll be fine."

"But what if the mutts come back? I won't be there to protect you," Cato says concern for the younger boy noticeable in his voice.

"I love the fact that you want to protect me Cato, but you know I can take care of myself," Peeta says gently, hoping not to hurt Cato's feelings.

"I know Peeta. I just, after everything, well," Cato stutters unable to get the words right. He sighs before whispering, "I don't want to lose you. I'm still bothered by that nightmare."

"You're not going to lose me," Peeta replies touched by Cato's honesty. "I'm not going out there alone either you know. Gale and Katniss will be with me," he reminds Cato.

Cato just smiles at Peeta as they catch up to the others.

After grabbing their lunches and sitting at the table, Rie suddenly speaks, "Hey Katniss, isn't that your mother having lunch with Boggs?" Everyone looks.

"Yes it is. I wonder what that's all about?" Katniss says confused. They see them share a laugh.

"Looks like they're getting along well," Gale comments, smirking at his friend.

"Shut up Gale!" Katniss says getting upset. Gale throws his hands up in surrender before sharing a look with Clove.

Just then Fennel walks up to the group, "Sons, Delly, I want you to come to my room tonight, family meeting." He turns to Cato, "You can join us too Cato."

"Thank you sir," Cato replies respectfully.

Fennel nods and goes back to work, waving at them all as he walks away.

"That's weird," Gale says. "My mother called a family meeting tonight as well. Even invited Clove to join us."

"That is weird," Peeta agrees sharing a knowing look with Cato. They both smile.

"Alright, what's going on you two? Does Bread Boy and Muscles know something about these family meetings that the rest don't know?" Clove questions when she sees them smiling. She picks up her butter knife, "Tell us now!" she demands threatening them with her knife.

Before either boy could speak, Boggs walked over to the table and addresses the group. "Alright, glad to see you're all together. Makes this much easier. I have the list of the sniper squad. Starting tomorrow morning, you will be training with me. The rest of you will be training with Jackson. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," they say in unison.

"Great. Tavin, Marvel, Katniss, Clove, Peeta, Wheet, Finnick, and Enobaria are now a part of the sniper squad unit. Congratulations. I will see you tomorrow." Boggs says before walking away.

"Shit Peeta Bread! Is there anything you're not good at?" Johanna asks. "Beetee told Finnick and I about your special weapons. And I've tasted your baking." She adds.

Peeta just shrugs and looks at Cato. Cato gives him a knowing smile but Peeta knows that Cato is upset that they'll be separated even more now.

Katniss stands up. "Let's go hunting boys!" she says before leaning down and giving Marvel a kiss.

Gale give Clove a kiss before standing up to join Katniss.

Cato grabs Peeta as he stands up and pulls the younger boy into his lap. He kisses Peeta deeply before whispering in his ear, "Please be safe."

Ignoring the catcalls and whistles, Peeta looks at Cato before whispering back, "Always."

Peeta stands up and leaves with Katniss and Gale. Clove moves closer to Cato.

"Hey muscles, are you okay?" she asks her oldest friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cato replies watching the trio leave.

"Bullshit," Clove scoffs. "Let's go talk."

The two get up and go out the door. Once in the hallway, Clove tries again, "Cato, we've been friends for a long time. I know when something's wrong. You've been acting kind of weird all morning. What gives?" she asks.

He looks down at her and sighs, "I had a nightmare last night. In it, I was tortured and Peeta was killed in front of me. I couldn't save him. I haven't had a dream like that since I was little. It scares me and now I don't like letting him out of my sight. I don't understand why I feel this way."

"Oh Cato, you can't let your dreams get to you like that. And we both know that Peeta can take care of himself," Clove says studying Cato closely.

"I know Clove, but I can't seem to help it. I'm afraid he'll get hurt or worse – taken away from me," Cato admits.

"It's more than that though, isn't it Cato?" she asks seeing something in his eyes.

"What do you mean? More than what?" he asks a little confused.

"Oh muscles, I never thought this day would ever come," she says giddy with joy.

"Clove, what in the hell are you talking about?" he asks frustrated.

"Cato, what do you feel when you think of Peeta?" Clove asks, smiling. "And be honest."

"I don't understand Clove. I feel happy when I think of Peeta," He responds.

"Dig deeper Cato," Clove says, trying to get him to realize what she had figured out.

"Do we have to do this? If you know something, just spit it out!" he yells.

"I'm not going to tell you Cato. This is something you need to figure out on your own big guy. I know you'll figure it out soon," she tells him. "But you better get going now. Don't want to be late on your first day of teaching."

Clove leaves him standing there in the hallway, more confused than ever. How does his nightmare fit in with how he feels about Peeta? He cares about Peeta, a lot. But what does that have to do with watching him die in his dream? He feels a headache coming on from trying to figure it all out. He decides he better get going to help his dad with the class.

For Peeta, Gale, and Katniss, being able to hunt together again was like coming home again. Their teamwork was right back to what it was before the games. And shockingly, despite the mutts that had been in the area not too long ago, they were able to get quite a bit of game including 4 rabbits, 2 turkeys, and a deer. They set up many snares in hopes that they will be full tomorrow.

When their hunting time was up, they took their haul down to the kitchen where they saw Greasy Sae. She happily took their kills and promised them a special treat for dinner. They left her and headed to their rooms to get showered and joined their class for military training. They ran laps, climbed walls, and ran an obstacle course – just like they did in the training center in the Capitol. When they got a 10 minute break, Marvel came up and told them that Tavin and Wheet were in the hand-to-hand combat class taught by Cato and his father.

By the time they all went to dinner, they were exhausted. As promised, Sae had made the 3 hunters a rabbit stew. It was a taste of their old life and they missed it terribly. The others saw the stew and wanted to try it as well so Sae brought them all out a small bowl.

After dinner, Boggs informed Peeta, Cato, Gale, and Katniss that they had the rest of the night off as the trainers were going to a meeting with Coin to discuss the war effort.

Cato and Peeta joined Peeta's siblings heading up to their dad's rooms as Gale and Clove headed to his mother's room. They waited for about half an hour before Fennel arrived. Peeta didn't really want to be there. He just wanted to go back to his room with Cato and go to bed.

"Hey kids, let me get cleaned up and then we'll talk," Fennel says as he walks in the door and heads to the other room.

When Fennel comes back out, he sees his kids laughing and talking. It warms his heart. He hopes what he's about to tell them will go over just as well.

Wheet sees his dad first, "Hey dad, what's going on? What's up with calling a family meeting?"

"Actually, I'm expecting a couple more people to arrive before we begin," Fennel admits right before there is a knock on the door. "They're here," he says smiling. He rushes to the door and greets the Hawthorne family as he invites them in.

Peeta sits on Cato's lap to make room for the Hawthorne kids to sit down. Posy goes over to Wheet and climbs in his lap, twirling his hair in her hand. Gale and Clove come over and she sits on his lap so that Vick and Rory could sit between the two couples.

Fennel and Hazel stay standing side by side, smiling at each other sweetly before turning to their children.

"We each called this family meeting because we wanted to talk to you all together. Cato and Clove, you were invited because Gale and Peeta would probably tell you anyway," Hazel begins.

"Plus, not being direct members of the families, you will have a different perspective," Fennel adds. "Hazel and I have something we'd like to discuss with you all. Please hear us out before you say anything."

The older kids all share a confused look except Peeta and Cato, who try to keep a blank look on their faces.

Fennel looks at Gale, "I've been spending time with your mother since the night of the tribute parade. I've gotten to know her on a 'friendly' level," he gets flustered and stops talking, trying to find the right words. Hazel grabs Fennel's hand to give him the strength to continue. This does not go unnoticed by the kids. Fennel smiles down at Hazel, and before he can continue, Gale speaks.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr. Mellark, but are you saying that you'd like to date my mother?" he asks as he realizes what's going on.

"I guess I am, with your permission of course. All of your permission, from both families," Fennel says, stumbling over his own words.

Gale looks over to Peeta who smiles and shrugs. "I'm okay with it," Gale says as he looks up and sees his mother smile at Fennel.

"Me too," Peeta says, laying his head on Cato's shoulder, a knowing smile on his face.

Gale and Peeta turn to Wheet, Delly, and Rie who haven't said a word yet. They just look stunned. Finally Wheet speaks first, "I say go for it dad, live your life."

"I certainly don't have a problem with this either," Rie adds.

"I'm not sure I have any right to have a say in this as we just found out that I'm a part of this family," Delly admits. "But I don't see why the two of you can't be happy. I say yes as well."

"Rory, Vick, Posy, you have a say in this as well," Hazel says to her younger children. "Is it okay with you if I spend more time with Fennel, eh, Mr. Mellark?"

"I guess it's okay with me," says Rory. He's a little shocked still to be able to have a say.

Vick looks at his mom and at Mr. Mellark. He can see how happy his mom is when she is around him. He doesn't quite understand exactly what is going on, but if she spends more time with Mr. Mellark the baker maybe they'll get more goodies. "Okay mom," Vick says.

"Rosy Posy," Wheet says to the little girl on his lap. "My dad would like to spend more time with your mommy. Is that okay with you?"

"Does that mean I get more cookies?" she asks.

Wheet looks confused for a moment. Then he answers, "I don't see why not. It might even mean you get to learn to bake them too."

"Really?" Posy asks eyes wide. She looks at her mom, "Okay mommy. When can I learn to make cookies?"

"Not tonight sweetie," Fennel answers. "I'll have to talk to President Coin to get permission."

"You should make the offer to teach all the younger kids a baking class. It might be something she'd go for," Clove suggests.

"That's a brilliant idea Clove. Thank you," Fennel says.

Gale signals to Clove to stand. "Well, I think we'll take the young ones back to their room and get them ready for bed. Enjoy your evening mother," Gale says to Hazel. "Come on you three, it's nearly bedtime."

"Aww, I don't wanna go bed," Posy pouts.

"You know you have to be a good girl to get to learn to make cookies," Wheet whispers to her. She looks up at him suspiciously and he nods.

"Okay," she says dejectedly before giving Wheet a hug and getting down.

"Hey Posy, where's my hug?" teases Rie.

She runs over to him and gives him a hug. She turns to Delly and gives her a hug as well. She then runs over to Peeta and Cato who are now sitting side by side and gives each of them a big hug. "Love you brother Peeta," she whispers as she hugs him. He doesn't have a chance to say anything back as she crawls into Cato's lap and gives him a hug.

After Clove and Gale get the younger Hawthorne's out, Peeta and Cato stand to leave as well. Wheet, Rie, and Delly follow their lead.

"Bye dad," Peeta says smiling at Fennel. "Good night Mama Hazel," he adds before taking Cato's hand and pulling him out the door, barely giving him a chance to say good bye. Wheet, Rie, and Delly each say goodnight as they quickly follow the two boys out.

"What was that all about Peet?" Wheet asks as they get into the elevator.

"I just wanted to give them some privacy," Peeta replies.

"Right. You practically dragged poor Cato out of there. Spill it baby brother," Rie says.

"Fine," Peeta relents. "Cato and I saw dad and Mama Hazel in the gardens before we got stuck in the cavern. They were holding hands. I don't know if they saw us there and I didn't want to find out."

"So wait, you knew about them?" Wheet asks incredulously looking between Cato and Peeta.

Cato looks down embarrassed, "Sort of. I think they look cute together."

"You guys don't think it's too soon for dad to be dating do you?" Peeta asks his brothers.

"Peeta, dad hadn't been with Mother for a very long time. In fact, He spent many nights sleeping in his office after she kicked you out," Wheet says.

"Besides, dad needs to be with someone nice," Rie adds. "And there's no nicer lady than Mrs. Hawthorne."

The five of them get off the elevator and see Katniss and Marvel sitting on the ground, talking quietly.

"Hey you two, what's going on?" Delly asks.

Katniss and Marvel look at the five others standing there. "I think my mom likes Boggs," Katniss blurts out.

"And that's bad?" Cato asks a little confused.

"No, not really," Katniss admits. "It's just weird. I mean, I never thought my mother would ever want to be with anyone other than my father."

"You think that's weird? Our dad called a family meeting to talk," Rie says. "And you know how Gale mentioned his mom called a family meeting as well?" Katniss and Marvel nod. "Well, it was actually a joint family meeting so they could ask us for permission to date."

"What?!" exclaims Katniss.

"Wait your dad and Gale's mom are now dating?" Marvel asks stunned.

"Yep," Wheet replies. "It must be something in the District 13 water supply," he jokes.

The elevator door opens and Clove and Gale step out. "Well, this looks interesting," Gale comments as he sees them all sitting on the floor. "What's going on Catnip?"

"Well let's see," Katniss replies. "My mother might like Boggs and your mom is dating Peeta's dad. I think that about covers it all."

Gale laughs, "Yeah, it's pretty strange but mom sure seems happier. So, Boggs and your mom huh?"

Before Katniss can reply, Tavin steps out of his room and sits with the rest of the group, "Hey guys, is everything okay?"

"Just a very odd night," Delly replies.

Johanna steps out of the elevator and sees them all sitting in the hallway. "Well, this is an interesting place for a party," she says as she sits down with everyone else.

"Hey JoJo, what are you doing roaming around?" Peeta asks happy to change the subject of his dad and Gale's mom. He didn't really want to deal with the others finding out he and Cato knew about the parents and never said anything.

"Not much. Was just visiting Brutus again. Dr. Aurelius says he should be out of the hospital in the next day or so," she tells him before turning to Wheet, "Hey Wheet Bread, can we go talk somewhere? Alone?"

"Sure," Wheet replies jumping to his feet before offering his assistance to Johanna. "See ya guys," he calls over his shoulder as the two walk away.

Foxface steps out of the elevator next and sees everyone sitting there. "Aww, a welcoming committee for me? I feel so special," she teases as she sits next to Rie.

"Hey, did you have a nice visit with your family?" Rie asks nicely. Peeta looks at his brother in shock. Was Rie flirting with her?

Cato grabs Peeta's hand. "I'm tired baby. You ready to go to bed?" he whispers in Peeta's ear.

Peeta turns to look at the sweet guy next to him and nods.

"Good night guys," they say before getting up and heading to their room. Once inside, they quickly shower together before climbing into bed snuggled up together. Peeta lays his head on Cato's chest, his heartbeat coaxing him to sleep.

"Pretty eventful day," Cato comments.

"Yeah, I'm really tired," Peeta agrees.

"You want to know my favorite part?" Cato asks sleepily.

"Sure," Peeta replies just as tired.

"This morning when you were on top of me," Cato says very nearly asleep.

"Hmm," is the last thing Cato hears from Peeta.

**Sorry, I couldn't resist adding another sex scene so soon! Next chapter sneak peek: the sniper team goes on their first mission, lies will be told, we learn a new secret about Coin, and a new couple is revealed. Until next time…**


	18. Chapter 18 The Sniper Mission

_**The Games We Played**_

_**Hello readers! Sorry I didn't get this posted Sunday – super bowl and all. My only other reason will be explained below.**_

_**To my new followers, I welcome you with a huge smile on my face. Every time I get a notice that someone has added my story, it makes my day.**_

_**To those that have been with me for a while, I haven't forgotten about you either. Knowing you're out there keeps me going.**_

_**And to my reviewers – Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me know what you think. Whether good or bad, I count on you to keep me on my toes.**_

_**Yuntani**__**: I'll admit I worried a little about putting in another love scene so close with the last but hoped the change up would be worth it. As an older couple, Fennel and Hazel are my favorite **_**older**_** couple lol. And read on to find out Coins secret lol.**_

_**CupcakeSprinkles14**__**: So happy you liked the Peeto lovin'! I am sorry that I took so long to update too.**_

_**Lincolnlog89**__**: the sniper team leaves in this chapter and Peeta will be without his Cato **____** But there is a 'nice' sendoff. Coin's secret comes to light and who reveals it is a surprise. P.S. Hansel and Gretel was awesome especially in 3D. **_

_**Movetotherhythm**__**: you and I are good lol. I wasn't worried in the least. I felt bad that I had forgotten to respond to that review. Peeta and Cato's relationship strength – I see them as balancing each other but love the way you see them.**_

_**MangoMagic**__**: I am so glad you were honest with me about how you felt about the last chapter. I prefer to know any and all constructive criticisms. They can only help to improve my story. And yours are always welcome**_

Chapter 18: Peeta and the Sniper Squad go on their mission

The morning after Fennel and Hazel announced their relationship, Peeta and the other squad members were called into Coins office and were given their first mission. Coin informed them that Snow was planning on sending one of his own 'tribute soldiers' to District 8 to try to bring them back under Capitol control. His soldier would arrive in the district in 3 days' time. As Snow's team wasn't to arrive until in the afternoon, the team would arrive in the morning and coordinate with the team leader there. Boggs was given the order to work with his team and figure out strategies and training. The group was to spend all their training time with Boggs. There was no idea how long they'd be there.

The day before they were to leave, Coin called Katniss, Wheet, and Peeta into her office. When they arrived, they saw Boggs and Haymitch there as well. They were a little confused.

"Before you three leave tomorrow, I'm sending you to District 12 to see the damage Snow caused. I think it will help you with your mission, to keep in mind what Snow is capable of," she tells them. "You may take one person with you as support as I realize this will be difficult. You leave in 2 hours. That is all."

Peeta immediately looks for Cato in the dining hall. He can feel Katniss and Wheet behind him, just as worried as himself.

"There you are, I got you -" Cato begins before he sees Peeta's pale face. "You okay? What happened?" he asks standing up to get a better look at Peeta.

"Coin is sending Katniss, Wheet, and I to District 12 in an hour," Peeta says quietly. "I'm allowed to bring someone with me. Will you come?"

"Yes, of course," Cato replies. "But what about my classes?" he asks a little skeptical.

"I don't know. She never said," Peeta looks up at Cato, scared he'll change his mind. "Do you not want to come with me?"

"What? No, I'm definitely coming with you. I was just curious," Cato says hugging Peeta to him to reassure him.

"Oh, good," Peeta says with relief. They sit down and quickly eat. They see Cato's dad and fill him in on what's happening. Maxamilian looks at Peeta and tells him that if he ever needs to talk, he is always available. Peeta is touched by the offer and thanks him.

As they walk out of the dining hall, Boggs sends them down to Beetee to dress in their propo outfits as Coin would like their visit filmed. They are to grab their special weapons as well, just in case. Peeta is not happy that he will be filmed seeing the devastation of his home.

The 2 boys arrive in the special weapons room and are a little surprised to see Portia, Tigris, and Cinna there. As they change, they see Katniss, Marvel, Wheet, and Johanna come in to get ready. Cato grabs 2 swords as Peeta grabs a bow, a quiver of arrows, and several knives. Beetee makes sure they have their bracelets and they all head to the hangar together.

Boggs leads them to the hovercraft and there they see Cressida, Pollux, and Castor. Haymitch and Finnick board soon after and they take off. Peeta isn't surprised to see Finnick there as Haymitch's support. The 45 minute flight is nerve-wracking for Peeta and Cato holds his hand, rubbing his thumb along Peeta's knuckles to calm him. They both had heard about the bombings from Thom and the other members of Peeta's family and friends.

They land in the meadow just outside the fence and exit the craft. Katniss and Peeta share a scared look that doesn't go unnoticed by Marvel and Cato. They head towards the seam first to inspect the damage. What they see before them is truly heartbreaking for the two.

Many of the houses in the seam are piles of ashes. Katniss and Peeta look at each other, tears in their eyes. They head towards where Katniss's house is first. They are surprised at what they find. The Everdeen home isn't in ashes but is a large pile of rubble. Katniss lets go of Marvel's hand and walks over. She begins to dig through the pile, hoping to find something of her past to take back with her. Peeta walks over to help. In the rubble, they find her father's hunting jacket and the book of plants that her parents made. The cover is damaged but otherwise unharmed. She takes both items with her, tears running down her face.

The group then moves on to the Hawthorne house. Alas, it's fate was not so kind. Peeta drops to his knees in front of the piles of ashes, tears silently falling down his cheeks. He thinks about the day he was brought there to live, Posy's first steps in the dirt at his knees, playing in the yard with Rory, Vick, and Prim waiting for Katniss and Gale to finish trading. He feels hands on his shoulders and looks up to see Cato and Katniss standing next to him. Katniss squeezes Peeta's shoulder as if she knows what he's thinking. Cato has tears in his eyes as he realizes that this was Peeta's sanctuary from his abusive mother, the one place he was safe.

Katniss walks back to Marvel who wraps his arms around her as Wheet joins Peeta and Cato. Wheet looks down at Peeta. "Shall we go see it?" he asks nodding towards town.

Cato helps Peeta to stand before Peeta replies, "It's why we're here." Wheet takes Peeta's hand and Peeta can feel the slight tremor. It's hard for him to think that his brother is scared. He gives him a reassuring squeeze as they walk towards the bakery.

As they walk carefully past the bodies on the ground, many burnt beyond recognition, Peeta wonders if they'll get the burial they deserve. As they near the bakery, Wheet's grip tightens almost painfully. Peeta looks at him and they share a sad smile.

Peeta looks at his childhood home and is surprised to feel … nothing. Well, not nothing, just the loss of his family's history, their heritage. The bakery had been in the family for generations. He looks at the melted lumps that used to be the ovens and is thankful his dad isn't here to see it.

The 2 brothers sit on the steps that once led to the bakery and sit down in quiet contemplation. Peeta turns to Wheet and whispers "Are you okay?"

Wheet looks back at Peeta. "I should be asking you that. This place doesn't have the same memories for me as it does for you." He looks away ashamed. "I was a horrible brother Peet. Big brothers are supposed to look out for the little ones. I watched as Mother nearly beat you to death and I did nothing to stop it."

"To be honest, I'm glad you didn't. She would've just turned on you." Peeta tells him as he looks up at Cato standing back with the group a couple feet away. "Besides, you're here with me now. I have both my big brothers back as well as a sister. That makes what happened worth it."

"You always were too good to be true," Wheet says smiling. "And I'm glad Rie snuck out to tell Gale to take care of you. It does make everything worth it."

They sit in silence for another moment before Peeta asks, "Do you think dad will want to come back here to rebuild after we win the war?"

"I don't know Peeta," Wheet says standing up. "But part of me hopes so."

Peeta stands up as watches as Wheet walks over to Johanna who wraps her arms around him, whispering in his ear. He feels Cato's arm go around his waist. He leans into him, the tears threatening to flow again.

"You okay?" Cato asks looking at the blonde next to him.

"Yeah, I'm good. I haven't been here in over 6 years," He says looking into Cato's eyes, finding concern and worry. "It _is_ hard to see it like this but it's a good thing too."

"What do you mean?" Cato asks as they turn to look at the burned out building.

"When we win this war, my dad can rebuild it. It can be a fresh start, a new beginning, new memories," Peeta tells him. "It's what I'd do if I lost them – Dad, Wheet, and Rie. I'd come back and rebuild it."

"Oh, I see," Cato says.

Peeta can hear something like sadness in Cato's tone. "What's the matter?" he asks looking back at Cato.

Cato smiles at Peeta, "It's nothing, just thinking."

"Hey Loverboys, hate to interrupt a tender moment but we're going to check out the Victor's Village," Haymitch calls out.

The group heads towards the high-walled section of town that held the homes for the District 12 victors. As they follow the wall, they can see scorch marks but see that the wall is still intact. As the reach the tall, arched opening, they can see a couple of the homes. They look unharmed. They walk around into the village and are stunned to see all the houses still standing. As they approach Haymitch's house, Peeta can feel tension coming from Cato. He grabs Cato's hand and stops walking. This action causes Cato to be pulled to a stop. He looks at Peeta questioningly.

"I think we should stay here," Peeta says. When Cato doesn't respond he continues, "I think I know what the problem is Cato. That house holds memories, that's true. Some are good, others not so much." Peeta watches as Haymitch, Finnick, Wheet, and Johanna enter the house. "With Finnick with us, this can't be easy for you." He reaches up to make Cato look at him. "It sucks that he's here. But he's my past. You are my future."

"I am?" Cato asks shocked.

"I really hope you will be," Peeta admits.

"I'd like that too," Cato agrees pulling Peeta into an embrace. They stay quietly wrapped together, just enjoying the moment.

When the four that went into the house return, they all head back to the meadow. There they find a picnic lunch set up for them. As they eat, Cressida asks the 3 former District 12 resident's questions about growing up here, what school was like, about the separation of the town and seam families, and about those they lost. Peeta is shocked when Wheet begins to talk about Eliza, their mother, and himself.

"I lost my fiancé in the bombings as well as Peeta's and my mother. But the truth is Eliza wasn't someone I would've chosen for myself. My mother actually pushed us together, only I didn't realize it at the time. It wasn't until later that I figured it out," Wheet tells her.

"And how did that happen?" Cressida asks.

"It wasn't until I met the Hawthorne and Everdeen families. I had tagged along with my dad to watch my brothers in the games. I saw the happiness on Peeta's face whenever he was near Cato. But Peeta wasn't just happy, he was content, joyful, and comfortable as well. Those were things I didn't feel with her, that joy you feel just being with that person – the one you love. The night of the bombings, Eliza showed me that she was just as cold and callous as my mother. I left them at the bakery and haven't looked back since." Wheet replies looking down at his hands. "Peeta got the physical abuse, but I think Rie and I got the emotional. Watching Mrs. Hawthorne and Mrs. Everdeen during the games with their children spoke volumes to me. They were mothers that love their children."

"What Wheet and many others don't know is that after my father died, I nearly lost my mother," Katniss speaks up. "My mother went into a severe depression. She just sat in a chair, staring into space. It was Peeta's beating that brought her back to Prim and I."

"Care to expand on that Katniss?" Cressida asks turning her attention to Katniss.

"Gale brought Peeta in bloody and broken saying his mother beat him. My mother jumped up and began working on him. She had sat in that chair since the day she was told about my father's death. She wouldn't, couldn't get up. We were starving," Katniss tells her. "I wasn't very good at hunting back then. I didn't know what plants were safe to eat. If Peeta hadn't thrown that bread to me, hadn't gotten himself a beating, I don't think we'd be here talking about this."

"So, it sounds like Peeta is an important part of your life," comments Castor.

"Peeta is one of my best friends. I'm sorry that he had to live with the beatings he did before finding a life with the Hawthorne's. But I am so very grateful he's in my life." Katniss says looking over to Peeta. "Life here in District 12 was hard, but Peeta – he's like the dandelion in the spring, a sign of hope."

Peeta is shocked, amazed, and embarrassed with the talk about him.

"So Peeta," Cressida turns to the blonde boy. "What do you think of what Wheet and Katniss had to say about you?"

"I'm flattered by their words but I'm not anything special, I'm just me. With Katniss, I saw someone I knew that was hungry and the circumstances behind it. I knew the consequences of what I was doing and did it anyway." He smiles at her. "As for Wheet's comment about me and Cato, I like being around Cato. He makes me feel safe, protected, and happy. I just hope I do the same for him." He adds, smiling at the blonde next to him.

"You do," Cato whispers.

"Hey Bread Boy, I do believe your brother used the word 'love' to describe your relationship," Johanna teases.

Peeta blushes and can't find the words to comment. He looks up at Cato who's cheeks are as pink as his own.

"Jo, leave them alone. Just because we can see it doesn't mean they're ready to admit it," Wheet tells her just loud enough for Peeta and Cato to hear.

They finish eating and board the hovercraft. Peeta notices that Finnick is sitting across from him and sees a flash of jealousy as he lays his head on Cato's shoulder. He closes his eyes to avoid looking at Finnick again. That Finnick is starting up again is beginning to annoy Peeta. When he opens his eyes, he is surprised to find himself in his room, snuggled next to Cato.

"I know you're awake Peeta," Cato snickers. "It's almost time to go to dinner, you ready?"

"I guess so," Peeta says sitting up.

"What's the matter Peeta? Does it have to do with going to your District today?" Cato asks as he joins Peeta sitting up.

Peeta looks at Cato, "I'm leaving in the morning. We don't know how long we'll be gone. You won't be there if I have a nightmare."

"Maybe not physically," Cato begins as he lays his hand over Peeta's heart. "But I will be right here."

"You're always there," Peeta says with a smile. "I don't know if I can handle not having you calm me down." Then he remembers the other night, when Cato had his own nightmare. "What if you have one while I'm gone? We've never had to deal with them alone."

Peeta watches in confusion as Cato gets up and walks to his dresser. He opens the top drawer and pulls something out. He comes back and sits next to Peeta again. When he opens his hand, Peeta's eyes widen. Sitting in Cato's palm is a silver ring with a ruby in the center. As Cato shows him, Peeta sees Cato's initials on one side and two swords on the other.

"I can't –" Peeta begins looking down at the ring.

"Shh, I want you to take it. It's my ring for completing the academy and my token in the games," Cato tells him as he leans back and unhooks the chain that holds Glimmers token. "Now you'll have Glimmer and me with you," he says as he slides the ring onto the chain and closes the clasp.

"But I don't have anything for you," Peeta says looking down at the two tokens.

"It's okay Peeta," Cato says. "I just have one request though."

Peeta looks up at Cato, "Anything you want, just name it."

Cato leans down and touches his forehead to Peeta's. "Come home to me. Safe and Sound." He says softly before gently kissing Peeta's lips. "Now, let's go eat."

They walk to dinner holding hands and sharing smiles. Peeta's free hand plays with the ring around his neck. They grab their dinner and sit with the group. Clove sees the ring and gives Cato a questioning look. He shakes his head and mouths 'it's not what you think, talk later'. She gets the message, shrugs her shoulders, and continues eating.

As the group finishes, Boggs walks over. "Alright sniper squad, don't stay up too late tonight. We leave at 0600 sharp. I want you in the hangar bay at 0545," he tells them.

"Yes sir!" his squad responds before he walks away.

Peeta looks up at Cato. "I want to go visit with my dad before we go to bed," he tells him.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Cato asks.

"Would you be mad if I said I want to talk to him alone?" Peeta counters.

Cato smiles at Peeta, "No, you go. I'll go visit with my family. I really haven't spent all that much time with them myself. I'll see you back in the room, okay?"

Peeta smiles back, "Okay."

They stand up and after a quick kiss, Cato joins his family as they leave. Peeta walks over to his dad.

"Hey dad," Peeta says. "Are you about done?"

Fennel looks up to see Peeta. "Just about son. I just have to leave some instructions for in the morning. Did you need something?" he asks.

"I just wanted to talk," Peeta replies.

"Okay. Give me about 5 minutes," Fennel says before going back to talk to Greasy Sae. When he returns, they leave the dining hall together.

"So, what's wrong Peeta?" Fennel asks as they walk to the elevator.

"I went back to District 12 today. I saw the bakery," Peeta says sneaking a look at his dad. "It got me thinking."

Fennel kept his expression blank. "About what?" he asks.

"What you think you might do after the war," Peeta replies carefully. "If you'll go back to 12 and reopen the bakery."

"I haven't really given that much thought with everything that has happened since we got here to be honest," Fennel says. "Right now, I'm taking things day by day." He looks down and sees that something is wrong. Before he can ask, Peeta continues.

"I think you should rebuild it and start over," Peeta says as they step out of the elevator.

"Son, what is really going on?" Fennel asks. "Something else is bothering you. You can talk to me you know."

Peeta looks up at his dad. He waits until they go into Fennel's room before speaking. "I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow and I'm not sure when I will be back," he tells him.

Fennel pulls his son into a comforting hug, "Oh Peeta, I don't know what I can say to make you feel better about this."

Peeta hugs his dad back. "This is better than words dad," he says before taking a step back. "Could you do me a favor though?" he asks.

"Sure son," Fennel replies.

"Keep an eye on Cato for me please," Peeta requests. "I don't know how long I might be gone and we haven't been apart for any period of time since we met. I'm worried about him, worried he won't eat and sleep properly."

"Alright Peeta, I can do that for you," Fennel promises. "But Cato looks like he can take care of himself."

"I'm really more worried about him not sleeping due to nightmares," Peeta admits quietly. "He had a real bad one the other night. In fact, we both have them."

"I didn't know you were having nightmares still. Can you tell me what they're about?" Fennel asks concern lacing his voice.

Peeta shrugs. "They're mainly about losing each other, losing our families," Peeta tells him. "A lot of death and dying. The only thing that makes them better is waking each other up and seeing the other's face."

"Oh Peeta, I didn't know," Fennel replies.

"We don't like to talk about them much," Peeta tells his dad. "Especially when it's you causing the death of those you care most about."

"I see," Fennel begins before being interrupted by a knock on the door. He goes over and opens it to find Hazel standing there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," she says.

Peeta smiles warmly at her. "You're not interrupting Mama Hazel. I have to go anyway, early morning tomorrow," he tells her before turning to his dad. "Thank you dad. And think about what I said earlier." He gives them both a hug before slowly heading to his own room, to Cato.

Cato isn't there when he walks in so he decides to write him a note. He'll give it to him in the morning before he leaves. Peeta barely has a chance to put the note with the pocket watch he's decided to give to Cato before he walks in.

Neither boy says anything. They just meet in the center of the room and hold one another, taking comfort in the arms of the other. Shortly thereafter, they go into the bathroom and shower together before climbing into bed. Holding each other in the dark, neither dares to speak. They let the gentle touches and kissing speak for them before falling asleep.

Neither had a nightmare that night.

The next morning, Cato helps Peeta pack his bag. When Peeta goes into the bathroom to grab his toiletries, Cato slips a note into Peeta's bag. When Cato goes in to brush his teeth, Peeta grabs the note and watch, stuffing them in his pocket for later. When Cato comes out, he grabs Peeta's bag in one hand and, as soon as their out the door, Peeta's hand in his other. They arrive in the hangar with 5 minutes to spare. Cato hands the bag to a District 13 member who is loading the hovercraft before facing Peeta and wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm going to miss you," Peeta says, his face in Cato's chest.

Cato squeezes him. "I'll miss you too," he says.

They pull apart just far enough to look into one another's eyes, ignoring all that is going on around them. So deep into each other, they don't see the rest of the squad arrive until Boggs speaks.

"Alright squad, say your final goodbyes and let's load up," he says before going over and waiting on the ramp.

Peeta tightens his hold on Cato and feels him do the same. They share a kiss that is filled with love and a touch of fear – things they can't say to each other. As soon as they separate, Peeta hands Cato the watch and note before joining Clove on the ramp. As the ramp begins to close, Cato calls out.

"Peeta!"

Peeta turns and looks at Cato.

"I – I love you!" he yells just before the door closes.

Peeta stands there stunned. It takes Clove pulling him to the seats to remind him that he was leaving. Clove chuckles as she fastens the seatbelt for Peeta before fastening her own. Clove waits a few minutes before she tries to talk to Peeta, figuring he may need the time to absorb what he heard.

"Peeta, are you okay?" she asks quietly.

He looks at her, shock still on his face. "Did he really …?" he asks.

"Tell you he loved you? Yes, that's what I heard," she tells him still keeping her voice down. "He's never said those words to anyone as far as I know. Not even to anyone in his own family."

"I didn't .. I couldn't .. I -" Peeta stutters.

"Calm down Bread Boy. He didn't exactly give you the chance to do anything. The boy always did have more muscles than brains," Clove says.

Wheet sits down next to Peeta, leaning over to whisper. "So, I heard his confession. I also noticed that you look like a deer caught in a trap. Are you okay?"

Peeta looks over to his brother. "You heard?" he asks before hiding his face in his hands. "This is NOT a good thing."

"Aww little Peetie, don't be embarrassed," Wheet says teasingly. "I think everyone aboard heard. Cato did yell it. I bet even dad heard." He adds snickering.

"Not helping Wheet Bread," Johanna says joining the conversation. "Peeta Bread, I get that your brother can be an idiot but don't let him ruin this moment."

Peeta looks at Johanna. "What happened to the snarky JoJo I love? Has Wheet softened you?" he asks.

"Oh, is that how we're playing this? You do realize that our departure was being filmed by Pollux and Castor? It will be hitting the air waves soon," she tells him before stomping off to sit next to Finnick.

Peeta pales at the news.

"So, back to you and Cato," Wheet says. "I'm standing up with you at the wedding. Don't even try to deny me. As your favorite brother it should most definitely be me," he teases.

"Well Bread Boy, you don't have to worry about me asking to stand up with you," Clove says.

"That's comforting," Peeta says sarcastically.

"Yeah," Clove agrees. "I'm going to be up there next to Cato. And I'm making it my mission to make your wedding memorable."

Peeta looks at Clove with fear in his eyes. "And what would you be planning to do Clover?" he asks fretfully. "Not that I'm getting married any time soon."

"You'll just have to wait and see," Clove says before getting up and going to talk to Boggs.

"All kidding aside Peet, how are you really doing?" Wheet asks.

"I'm good I guess. I mean, he tells me he loves me and then I have to process it alone," Peeta says.

"For what it's worth, I am happy for you. You found someone who loves you," Wheet tells him before getting up. He turns back to Peeta, "Just don't over think it. Accept it and figure out how you feel about him. He's going to want to know when we get back."

Peeta was left alone with his thoughts. How did he feel about Cato? Did he love him? He knew he cared deeply, is that love? He's brought out of his thoughts when Boggs starts to talk.

"Alright snipers, here's the plan. I'm going to put you in groups of 2. Clove and Wheet are a team; Enobaria and Tavin are a team; Katniss and Marvel are a team; and Peeta and Finnick are a team. Wheet, Tavin, Katniss, and Finnick are going to be the 'eyes and ears' of the team. They will be in contact not only with each other, but me as well. Remember shooters, we are here to capture Snow's tribute soldier NOT kill them." he states. "Now if you'll come with me to the command room, we'll discuss the plan further."

They spend the next hour going over possible scenarios and ideas. Before they head to eat a quick breakfast, Boggs adds one more thing. "If anything happens to me, you are to follow Peeta's orders. I trained him and I know he would do as I would do, understood?" he asks.

"Yes sir," the others reply. They head off to eat a quick breakfast before landing in District 8.

_**Meanwhile Back in District 13**_

Cato stood there and watched the hovercraft take Peeta away. He hadn't planned on telling Peeta he loved him until after he came back. But somehow he just blurted it out like an idiot.

"I can't believe you did that big guy," Gale says walking over to him.

"I can't believe I did either," Cato says.

"Did you mean it?" Gale asks concerned.

"What? Yes I meant it. I just wasn't going to tell him until he got back is all," Cato replies looking at Gale.

"Okay boys, keep the testosterone levels at normal. There is a lady present," Delly says walking over to the two boys.

"Lady? Is that what they call girls that shove their tongues down a boys throat?" Gales asks teasingly. "Yes, I saw that lovely display of affection between you and Tavin."

Delly's face turns bright red. "I'm never going to live this down will I?"

"Just be thankful the 2 brothers here didn't see," Gale teases some more.

As Delly turns a darker shade of red, Cato decides to join in the teasing. "Oh my god, she blushes as easily as Peeta. That's so cute," he teases.

The sound of footsteps running towards them kept Gale and Cato from giving Delly more crap. They turn to see who's running towards them. It's Foxface and she looks flabbergasted.

"Hey Foxface, where's the fire?" Gale asks.

"And what's got you so flummoxed?" Cato asks when she stops next to him.

"You guys are never going to believe what I found," she says gasping for breath. "I have been helping clean out some storage rooms when I came across a box that was unlabeled. And what I found in the box …"

"Slow down, catch your breath, and tell us," Delly says calmly.

Foxface looks around to make sure no one is around them before she scoots closer to them. "You are never going to believe this. Hell, I'm having a hard time with it," she stammers.

"We'll never have the chance to decide if we believe it or not if we don't know what 'it' is," Gale says getting frustrated.

"Right, right," Foxface mumbles. She takes a deep breath and says, "Coin is not who anyone thinks she is."

"A bitch? Everyone knows that," Cato states.

Delly smacks his arm. "Would you just let her finish?" she asks rhetorically.

Foxface gives Delly a smile. "Anyway, Coin is not who she says she is. She's not a native of District 13. She was born in the Capitol. And you'll never guess who her father is."

"Caesar Flickerman?" Cato guesses.

"Good guess Cato, but no," Foxface says to him. "She is Snow's illegitimate child!"

"WHAT?!" Delly, Gale, and Cato scream together.

"Shh!" Foxface scolds. "Yes, apparently Snow had slept with a Victor as a young teenager and Coin is their offspring."

"Do you have proof?" Cato asks.

"I made a copy of the birth certificate and hid it in a safe place," Foxface says. "In fact, I made several copies. I figured each of us tributes should have a copy for 'insurance', so to speak. I just don't trust Coin. I mean she just seems off to me. I just don't know exactly what it is."

"Well, there's really nothing we can do right now," Gale states. "We need to wait for a reason to use this information. A good reason."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she's Snow's daughter," Delly says. "Oh, and that Cato told Peeta he loved him." She adds getting back at him for embarrassing her earlier.

"Wait, what?" Foxface asks. "You admitted it?"

Cato gives Delly a dirty look before turning to Foxface. "I have."

"And what did Peeta say? Did he say it back?" Foxface asks dying for an answer.

"No, the meathead waited until right before the door closed before he yelled it out. I bet he didn't notice Pollux and Castor filming it either," Gale says smirking.

Delly and Foxface snicker behind their hands as Cato paled. "They were recording?" he asked rather quietly from shock.

"Dude, calm down. It's not the end of the world," Gale says clasping a hand on Cato's shoulder.

"Yeah, got it. But if they recorded it and, and, and what if Peeta doesn't say it back?" Cato stutters. "Oh god, what if he doesn't feel the same? I just made a fool out of myself."

"Cato, calm down. Deep breaths. Relax," Foxface tries. "Why wouldn't Peeta say it back? We've all watched you two. We can see that you two love each other."

"Oh crap!" Cato says suddenly.

"What now?" Delly asks.

"Oh god, how could I forget to mention it to her?" Cato says as he paces around, hand threading in his hair. "Shit! Clove saw it too! Crap! She better not say anything, I'll kill her."

"Cato, you're really freaking the girls out with the whole talking to yourself. If you tell us what's going on, maybe we can help you," Gale suggests.

"I don't know how you can help," Cato says. "I pretty much proposed to Peeta last night and didn't give it a thought."

"Okay, now you're freaking me out as well," Gale says unnerved. "How can you propose and not think about it?"

"In District 2, when you complete training or volunteer for the games, you get a ring," Cato explains. "I did both."

"Okay, I'm not seeing a problem yet," Delly comments.

"If you finish training and get the ring, you give it to the person you want to propose to," Cato tells her. "You have 6 months to ask and be married or you become an outcast, a pariah. You are sent to live in the outskirts of town, never to return. No contact allowed with anyone you ever knew."

"I'm still not –" Delly begins.

"You gave Peeta the ring," Gale states calmly.

Cato looks at Gale and nods. "He was kind of freaking out about being separated and I gave it to him so he would have a piece of me with him."

"What happens to the person you give the ring to?" Foxface asks.

"Nothing," Cato replies. "They do have the option to join the outcast, but none ever do."

"Alright, I can see your dilemma Cato," Gale says sympathetically. "But you're not in District 2 anymore. Surely you don't have to follow the rules here."

"I don't know to be honest," Cato says worriedly. "The problem is my dad kind of is the enforcer of the law."

"Just tell your dad what you told us," Delly suggests. "He'll understand, won't he?"

Cato shrugs and looks down. This was so bad… Or was it?

They head to the dining hall to have breakfast. Cato decided to take Delly's advice and speak to his dad. Outside the room, they caught Prim and Rory in a lip lock. Gale just looked at the two.

"You two can tell Katniss yourselves. I'm not getting involved," he warns them.

_**Back in District 8**_

An hour after breakfast, the hovercraft lands in District 8. As they gather their belongings and head out, they realize that the war has actually become a reality for them. They are met at the end of the ramp by a woman that Boggs called Commander Paylor. She greets the group.

"Welcome to District 8," she says. "I'll take you to the bunker so you can drop off your bags. Then we will head to one of the medical centers, where you will be filmed visiting the patients before you head to your positions. We've received word from the Capitol that Snow's tribute will be here at noon. We're to have the citizens in the square outside the Justice Building before then."

She leads them to a shed that is actually the entrance to an underground bunker. Each team is given a room. Clove and Peeta share a look when they realize that Peeta has to share a room with Finnick if they end up staying overnight. Katniss just patted him on the shoulder. All three knew Cato was polite to Finnick but didn't trust him around Peeta.

After dropping their stuff in the rooms, they follow Paylor to the medical center. Katniss takes one look at the building and voices her worry.

"These walls look like they'll fall down at any time. Isn't there some way to fix them?" she asks.

"Unfortunately Soldier Everdeen we are in the middle of a war. There is neither time, nor money, nor the man power for that right now," Paylor explains gently. Boggs had informed her on each member of his squad so she was aware of their backgrounds. "Let's go visit."

They walk into the building and see that it had once been a warehouse that had been converted. There were rows and rows of beds filled with injured citizens.

"How have so many been injured," asks Enobaria.

"When the tributes were rescued from the arena, the district rebelled. Many citizens began to kill the Peacekeepers here. Those that weren't killed ran away, but not before letting Snow know what had happened. We learned that some of the surviving peacekeepers dressed as citizens and sabotaged a couple factories causing them to explode. These are the wounded from those factories," Paylor explains. "Many more peacekeepers are expected to arrive today with the tribute."

That's when the group began to hear voices coming from behind them.

"Is that Peeta Mellark? Where's Cato? Those 2 are so cute together."

"Look, there's Katniss and Marvel!"

"I see Enobaria, Lacey. She's even prettier in person."

"Oh, it's Clove! I wonder if she'll give us a knife demonstration."

"That's Finnick! Isn't he dreamy?"

"Hey, isn't that Marvel's brother Tavin? He's taller in person."

The squad are released to go and visit the sick and injured. Katniss and Marvel stay together and answer questions about their relationship; how much they miss Glimmer, Rue, and Thresh; and how close the remaining tributes are. Enobaria answers questions about her games and what it's like to be a mentor. Tavin answers questions about meeting the tributes and mentors. Finnick talks about his son, life in the Capitol, and the rebellion. Wheet talks about his family reuniting and how he felt to have all his siblings in the games. Clove answers questions about life in District 2, the academy, and her knife throwing ability. But it was Peeta that everyone seemed like everyone wanted to talk to, especially his relationship with Cato, why he wasn't there, and about the relationship he had with Glimmer.

Two hours later, they were back in the bunker getting prepared for the afternoon ahead. Finnick left as Peeta was digging in his bag, looking for his helmet. As he pulls it out, an envelope falls on the ground. He picks it up and recognizes Cato's handwriting. He opens it and reads the note.

_Peeta,_

_I've never written a letter before, but for you I am._

_I lied last night when I said I was going to spend time with my family. Instead, I came back to our room to write this. I'm not as good at words as you are, so I hope you'll forgive my rumbling._

_From the moment I saw you, I knew you were special. I knew I was going to get to know you; I just wasn't sure how to go about it. It didn't help I had a reputation to keep. I had to be the brutal tribute even though that wasn't really me. You were the first person outside my district to see the real me. I found myself not wanting to have that brutal image attached to me the more time I spent with you. And then we were thrown into the arena. _

_So many things happened to us in the arena – from me nearly dying to finding out about your past, to losing Glimmer to being rescued. But my favorite thing while in the arena was when you agreed to be my boyfriend. I had never before been as happy as when you said yes. It was no longer just me, it was us._

_We've also had our ups and our downs after being rescued. The worst was when we fought in the cavern. I thought I was losing you, that I had lost you. It hurt so badly. Thankfully we worked it out. The best was our first time together. It didn't start out as a good night as you had a nasty nightmare. But it did turn into a fabulous morning. _

_Well, I guess that's all for now as I don't want you to catch me in our room writing this. _

_Oh, one more thing I want you to remember - being with you makes me feel complete Peeta. Please take care of yourself and come home safely to me._

_Love, _

_Cato_

Peeta sat down on his cot, holding the letter from Cato, tears in his eyes. Cato loved him. He not only said the words, he took the time to write a letter. Now was not the time to be missing him yet the tears began to fall anyway.

Clove found him a few minutes later curled up on the bed, tears soaking the pillow. "Peeta, what's wrong? She asks sitting down next to him.

"Cato loves me," Peeta says looking up at her.

She waits for him to say something else but he doesn't. "So I heard. But why are you crying? I would think knowing that is a good thing, make you happy," she says.

"I am happy," Peeta replies.

That's when she notices the piece of paper in his hands. "Alright, what's in the letter Bread Boy?" she asks becoming concerned.

He gives her a sweet smile. "It's from Cato and he loves me," he says before the smile slips from his face. "I don't understand why me? I'm just an abused boy from a poor district. How can he love someone like me?" he questions.

"I know Cato as well as his family, maybe better. When he told you he loved you, you have to know it's true. He's never said those words before – not even to his own family," she tells him. "Look, he dated many people back home but they were all intimidated by his strength and size. You, you're different. You don't put up with his shit and you weren't intimidated by him. You've been the only person to stay with him more than a couple of days. He's shown you a side that many never get to see. You have made him more human. Oh Peeta, if only you could see yourself as others see you."

Peeta looks at her, unable to understand. "What are you talking about?" he asks her.

"There is just something about you Peeta Mellark that pulls people in. Even I'm not immune," she says looking down in her lap. "I – I love you. Gale loves you. Katniss, Posy, and Prim – they love you. Even Marvel loves you." She looks him in the eye. "You have no idea, the effect you have on people. You make everyone around you a priority no matter what the situation. And you do it selflessly and it makes people listen to you."

"And what does that have to do with me and Cato?" he asks.

"Everything!" she says exasperated. "You make him a priority without even realizing it. You put him and his needs over you and your own needs. He told me about the nightmare he had and how you calmed him down. And I know damn well he left some things out of the story," she says with a knowing smirk. She sees him blush. "I thought so, but I'll leave that between the two of you," she says as she grabs his hands in her own. "Don't question why he loves you; just enjoy the fact that he does. You deserve it, accept it, and love him back."

"I do, love him I mean. I never thought I'd love anyone again after Finnick," he admits. "But I do love Cato." He pulls the ring out from under his shirt to show her. "It's not what you think," he rushes out seeing the shocked expression on her face. "It's to remind me that he's with me, waiting for me to return, to keep the nightmares at bay."

"This is more serious than I thought," she says quietly.

"No, I just told you what it means," Peeta tells her confused by the change in her attitude.

"I believe you that it means what you said Peeta, but it's a little more serious than that," she says a little unsure if she should continue. Looking at Peeta's confused face reinforces the idea that she shouldn't say more but it comes out anyway. "In District 2, the giving of your academy ring means that you found your soul mate, that person that holds the ring is your soul mate. Peeta, by giving you this ring, he's basically letting others know that he wants to marry you, The catch is that he has 6 months to ask you and be married. Otherwise, he will become an outcast, shunned by the district. Am I the only one that has seen you with it?"

"I think so. I've kept it under my shirt," he replies nervously.

"Okay, good. We need to keep Enobaria and the other mentors from seeing it," she says thinking. "All the mentors are aware of the law."

"No problem," Peeta says before remembering who he's sharing a room with. "Crap! I'm sharing this room with Finnick!"

"Okay, let's not panic. Just keep it in your shirt, okay?"

"Okay," Peeta agrees.

"Great. Now we better get going. I was sent to make you hurry," she says.

Peeta tucks the letter into his pocket and they make sure they have everything before running to join the others. Boggs and Paylor lead the four teams to their positions and they await the arrival of Snow's tribute. By early afternoon, the teams are told that the train the tribute was on was delayed. Apparently, someone had blown up the train tracks between District 5 and 6. Repairs were just being made when they got the word. The train was due first thing in the morning. Boggs called his teams down to head to the bunker to wait.

Once down in the bunker, the decision was made to let the squad relax for a while then have an early dinner before sending the team to bed early. Peeta was not looking forward to the night ahead and was seriously considering not sleeping at all. Unfortunately, all the emotional turmoil he went through sent that plan out the window. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He awoke to a pair of arms wrapped around his body. At first he thought it was Cato and rolled over to snuggle closer. Then he saw a pair of sea green eyes looking at him.

"What the hell Finnick!?" he exclaimed pulling away from the older man.

"You had a nightmare and wouldn't wake up so I crawled into bed with you. It worked. You stopped screaming," Finnick tells him.

"You should've tried harder to wake me up then. Oh, this is bad. Cato is never going to forgive me when he finds out," Peeta says running his hands through his hair. He jumps off the bed and begins to pace around the room. "Shit! Fuck! He is never going to forgive this. I ruined everything."

"So we won't tell him," Finnick says calmly as he sits up. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Yes it will! It will hurt both of us! I can't keep this from him," Peeta yells. "I love him!"

"Y-you love him?" Finnick asks shocked.

"Yes Finnick, I do. And he loves me. I know you heard him yell it yesterday," Peeta says trying to calm down a little.

There's a knock at the door. Peeta opens it to see Clove standing there. He invites her in. She enters and sees Finnick sitting on Peeta's bed.

"What's going on Clove?" he asks her trying to ignore the questioning look.

"The train will be here in one hour," she replies. "And we know who Snow sent."

"Great! Who is it?" Peeta asks.

Clove looks up at Peeta sadly before saying, "Its Leonitus Peeta."

Peeta pales and Clove stands next to him.

"What's the matter Peeta? You look like you've seen a ghost." Finnick says.

Clove gives Finnick her best death glare, "As a mentor, did you NOT watch the games? He was the tribute that wanted Peeta here. He threatened to take him away from Cato." She turns to Peeta. "We just won't let him see you and then he can't get you." She says trying to reassure Peeta.

"This is never going to work," Peeta panics. "It's like the guy has a radar out for me. I can't do this Clove," he says looking down at her, fear in his eyes.

She knows about the nightmares he's had with him in them, Cato has told her. "He won't get you Peeta. Your nightmares will not be coming true," she says trying to reassure him.

Katniss and Marvel walk in and see the state that Peeta's in. Katniss stands on the other side of Peeta and begins to whisper in his ear. "Breath Peeta. Deep calming breaths. You're fine; you're going to be fine. We're going to go out there and capture him and go home to Cato."

Peeta calms down enough to begin to get ready to go. Clove and Katniss stay with him, partly to keep an eye on him and partly to keep Finnick away. Katniss wasn't a total idiot. She knew Finnick would use everything in his arsenal to try and get Peeta back.

It was 45 minutes later that they had managed to get into position and wait for Leonitus. Peeta could hear Finnick coordinating with the others and knew the train would be arriving soon. Boggs had pulled him aside earlier and told him that he was to take the shot at Leonitus. Peeta knew the others were counting on him.

The train pulls up and the four teams await the arrival of the target.

When the cars arrive, Peeta lined up his sight on Leonitus and waited for the signal to fire. He watches as the other three teams begin to take out the new peacekeepers when Finnick gives him the signal, tapping on his helmet. Peeta shoots Leonitus in the leg. Finnick than tells him that he is to help take out as many of the peacekeepers as he can. Soon bodies were littering the ground. The citizens who had come to 'greet' Snow's tribute had dispersed with the first shot and there were no civilian casualties.

Finnick taps Peeta's helmet again. Peeta looks up. "We can go now, join the others." Finnick tells him. They both stand up and as Peeta turns, he feels a burning sensation in his lower back before everything goes black…

_**Back in District 13, same day as District 8**_

Coin has called the former tributes and mentors to her office to watch the live feed of the capture of Snow's tribute. Cato was sitting with Gale and Rie, worried about what was about to happen. It didn't help that he didn't sleep the night before after talking to his dad. He was going to have to get married in the next 6 months unless they win this war before then. With so many mentors and District 2 citizens living there, the old ways must be kept for now.

Cato is brought out of his thoughts by the sound of gun fire coming from the screen. He watches as Leonitus climbs out of the car he was in and makes his way up the stairs to the District 8 Justice Building. He watches as Leonitus is hit in the leg. Cato assumes it had to have been Peeta because he knew Peeta was the best shot of all. As he watches peacekeepers falling to their deaths, he hopes none of them are people he used to know.

Soon he sees the camera pan to get a shot of Boggs and a woman pick up Leonitus and take him inside the building. But before the screen fades to black, one more image is shown – someone from the sniper squad being shot! They can hear a faint voice that sounds like they're calling for Peeta. And in that brief moment, Cato knows immediately that his Peeta has been shot. Unfortunately the screen goes black and nothing more is shown. Cato doesn't move. He wants to run, no flee from what just transpired but can't. He thinks he's waiting for Coin to say something. Unfortunately, the room remains silent.

They all sit there in stunned silence, even after Coin left an hour ago. They are just waiting for some sort of news on what happened. Another hour passes before Mitchell walks in.

"We got our prisoner and the squad will be here soon. Those of you who want to can go wait in the hangar bay. Or you can stay here, waiting for news," Mitchell tells them.

"How long before we know who's been shot?" Delly asks nervous for Peeta.

"Radio contact has been silenced and it is now being looked at being fixed," Mitchell tells her.

It's another hour before they are told that the hovercraft will land in about 30 minutes. Gale and Rie promise to stay with Cato as they head to the hangar. When they arrive, the sit on a bench to wait. When the hovercraft lands, it's all Cato can do to not run over. He watches as the team begins to unload from the ship. At the very end are two sheet covered bodies and Cato knew without a doubt one of them was Peeta. What he didn't know was killing him…

**So there we have it. I mentioned earlier that there was another reason I hadn't posted. The truth is I was wavering between two scenes for 2 days and which one to post in this story. I'm referring to when Cato admitted his love for Peeta. I will post the other version as a one-shot titled **_**Peeta's 'Mission. **_**I went with my gut for this story and my heart was with the other version.**


	19. Chapter 19 Peeta Wakes, Cato Proposes

_**The Games We Played**_

**A/N: Hello readers! Happy (early) Valentine's day! Here is chapter 19 – my gift to you. I hope you enjoy ;)**

_**yuntani:**_** the Coin twist - it was fun knowing was coming. Rory & Prim are cute! Cato admitted his love, will Peeta tell Cato? As for Clove and Gale, I can't say right now ;) Finnick is an obstacle for our lovers sadly. A peacekeeper shot Peeta maybe? We may never know….**

_**CupcakeSprinkles14:**_** Here's the update. Sorry it took a week.**

_**movetotherhythm:**_** I like the little touches that reference the novels as well. Coin's secret had been an idea of mine since I sent my kids to the arena. Makes you wonder if she has more, right?**

_**MangoMagic:**_** Yeah, the original version was better. But had I gone the other route, would Finnick have tried anything with Peeta? Do you wonder what other secrets Coin may be hiding? Our young lovers have a plan to keep that damn Finnick away, but will it work? **

_**lincolnlog89:**_** So much drama in one chapter is a good thing, right? ;) As for Leonitus, you **_**might**_** catch a glimpse of him here in this chapter. And I like blunt hilarity as well. Although, I'm not sure this chapter has much of that.**

Chapter 19: Peeta Awakes, Cato Proposes

He's not sure how he got here. The last thing he remembers is seeing Peeta being taken out of the hovercraft under a sheet. Peeta's face was really pale and his hair, normally curly against his forehead, was lying flat and wet looking. Cato vaguely remembers Gale, or was it Rie, calling out his name before everything went black. Damn, his head really hurts.

He takes a moment to look around. He's lying on a bed, but the room isn't his and Peeta's. The small room is white but the only rooms in District 13 that are white are … in the hospital. He's in the hospital! Wait, why is he in the hospital? Before he has a chance to figure it out, the door to his room opens and Dr. Aurelius enters.

"Ah Cato, you're awake!" he says joyfully, walking over to the bed. "The others will be happy to know that. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good I guess. My head hurts. What happened?" Cato asks.

"From what I understand from Gale and Rie, who brought you in by the way, you had gone to the hangar to greet the returning team. Apparently, when the stretchers came out, you passed out and hit your head," Dr. Aurelius explains. "With your previous head injury, I had you put in this room for monitoring,"

"I see," Cato says. "How's Peeta? He was on one of the stretchers, right?"

"Peeta is a very lucky young man. The bullet fragmented of the bulletproofing of his uniform. Several pieces of that fragmentation entered his body, barely missing his left kidney and the spinal cord. Unfortunately, one piece did nick the renal artery causing some heavy bleeding. If Finnick hadn't been there to apply pressure, Peeta may well not be here today," Dr. Aurelius explains. "Due to the time it would take to get him to proper medical attention, a medic on board the hovercraft that picked him up put him in a medically induced coma. He was hoping to slow down the bleeding until he arrived here and I could take care of him. Peeta is in the room next door, recovering from surgery, under watch for infections. If you'd like to see him, I'll take you there in a moment."

Cato listens to Dr. Aurelius explain about Peeta's injuries as tears slowly fall down his face. When he offers to take Cato to see Peeta, Cato jumps at the chance. "Please, yes, I want to see him," Cato says.

Dr. Aurelius helps Cato off the bed and the leave the room together. The hall is filled with Mentors, Tributes, and families. Cato gives them all a small smile as he is led to Peeta's door. Cato opens the door to see Fennel sitting in a chair next to Peeta's bed. When he sees Cato, he stands up and leans over Peeta. "Cato's here now son. I'll be back later," he whispers as he kisses Peeta's forehead. As Fennel leaves the room, he places a hand on Cato's shoulder. "It's good to see you up and walking around again," he says before walking out the door.

Cato walks over to Peeta's bed and sits down in the chair just vacated by Fennel. He leans forward and takes Peeta's hand in his own. "Oh Peeta, this is not how I pictured your homecoming – you shot and me knocking myself out fainting," he says sadly. "Then again, I didn't imagine telling you I loved you by blurting it out the way I did either."

Cato sits by Peeta's side for hours, just staring at his pale face, which was easy to do with the head of Peeta's bed angled up. He can hear the others out in the hall talking. He knows he should let other people spend time with Peeta, especially his family, but he can't bear to leave the other boy's side. It's only when Dr. Aurelius forces him to leave for dinner that he gets up out of the chair. He leans down, kisses Peeta's forehead as Fennel had done earlier, and promises to return very soon.

Stepping out the door, he is nearly knocked over by Posy. He picks up the small girl and holds her close. She wraps her arms around his neck, neither one speaking. He looks up at Gale and sees that his eyes are as red as his own. Next to him is Clove, her eyes red as well.

"Dr. Aurelius sent everyone down to dinner before going in to get you. Posy wanted to wait for you so we did," Gale says.

The 4 of them head down to the dining hall to join the others. What greets them is shocking. Their normally long table is now even longer to include the mentors and the families. It's reminiscent of their first night in 13.

Cato Grabs his dinner and takes the seat between his father and Peeta's. Across from him Gale and Clove sit next to their mothers. Cato turns to Fennel to apologize for monopolizing Peeta's room, but Fennel speaks first.

"It's okay Cato; I know what you're going to say. But the family got to see him while you were still out. We knew that when you woke up, you'd want to be with him, you'd need to be with him," Fennel tells him. "I gave my permission for you to stay with him at night as well."

Cato nods. "Thank you Mr. Mellark," he says quietly. He turns back to his dinner and tries to eat. He ends up mostly just pushing it around on his plate. He's startled by the next voice he hears.

"Son, just go be with him. Everyone here knows how you feel about him and will understand," his father says. "Take advantage of this time. We don't know when Coin will put an end to the free time she's allowing for us to deal with Peeta being shot."

Cato doesn't think twice before he thanks his dad and runs back to Peeta's room. He's met at the door by Dr. Aurelius.

"I see you're back," he comments. "Did you at least eat?"

"As much as I could given the circumstances, sir," Cato replies.

"You need to eat Cato. You're no help to Peeta if you don't take care of yourself," Dr. Aurelius says. "Try to get some sleep while you're in there. Don't want a repeat of this morning."

"Yes sir," Cato says anxious to be with Peeta again.

Dr. Aurelius chuckles as he waves Cato into the room before walking away.

Cato enters the room and sees a cot set up for him. He has no plans on sleeping that far away from Peeta. He walks over to Peeta's bed and sits on the edge next to Peeta's leg. He looks at all the wires and tubes connected to the young boy's body.

"Hello love, I'm back, just like I promised," he says taking Peeta's hand in his own. "Here's the thing, I need you to wake up soon. I miss you. I miss your beautiful smile that lights up a room. I miss your beautiful blue eyes staring back into mine. I miss your laughter, your strength, and your gentle touches. And I miss your kisses too," he says brushing Peeta's curls from his eyes. Cato decides to talk to Portia about giving Peeta a haircut. "You're dad gave me permission to stay here with you so neither one of us will be alone."

There's a knock on the door before it opens. Cato turns to see Clove walk in.

"I'm not staying muscles, I just wanted to give this to you in private," She says as she walks over and hands him Peeta's necklace. "I ran as fast as I could to get to Peeta when we heard Finnick say that he'd been shot. Finnick is a mentor as is Enobaria and both are part of our squad. Are you insane giving him that ring?" she asks. Then she lays a hand on his arm when she sees the hurt in his eyes. "That wasn't fair of me. Peeta explained to me why you gave it to him. And don't freak out on me, but Peeta knows about the whole 6 month deal. I had to tell him once we found out that he had to share a room with Finnick." She sees the acceptance of Peeta knowing to the anger of Finnick sharing a room on Cato's face. She decides not to tell him about seeing Finnick in Peeta's bed. Hell, she's not even sure what had happened. They could have switched beds for all she knew. "I better go, Gale's waiting for me. Promise you'll come find me if you need to talk."

He looks at her. She was right; he really messed up giving Peeta the ring. He hopes Peeta isn't mad at him for the problem's he caused. Then he realizes Clove's waiting for a response. "Yeah, I promise Clover. And thank you," he says.

She smiles at Cato. "You're welcome Muscles. Don't stay up late," she says before leaving.

Cato looks down at the two tokens in his hand. He can picture Glimmer smiling and shaking her head at him, teasing him about what he's done. But he also knows that she'd be the first one to encourage him to just follow through with the whole getting married deal. Rue would be right behind her, giving Cato that knowing look she always had. Thresh would just cross his arms over his chest and chuckle at the predicament Cato finds himself in. He puts the necklace back around Peeta's neck, careful not to move him too much. He remembers that Peeta had given him the pocket watch and a letter that he'd yet to read. After all that had happened, he wanted to know what Peeta had written. He pulls the chair over to the bed and pulls the two items out of his pocket and opens the letter, wondering if Peeta had found the one he tucked in his bag.

_Cato –_

_If someone had told me that I was going to meet someone in the Hunger Games that would change the outlook on my life, I would've laughed in their face. But then you were there and everything I ever thought was never going to change, got better._

_It was when I nearly lost you in the arena that I changed. I spoke of my past, something I swore I'd _never_ do. You became my rock, my light in the darkness, my protector. I honestly think I would've lost my mind after Glimmer's death and the Jabberjays had you not been there, holding me._

_And now I have to leave you. But do you know what's keeping me from falling apart at the seams? The thought that I get to come back to you, that you'll be here waiting for me. It gives me something to hold onto. I look forward to your arms holding me again._

_I want you to do one more thing for me. If I don't come back right away, I want you to try and get some sleep. Just please try for me. _

_Love,_

_Peeta_

Cato smiles. Peeta knows him so well. And had he read the letter the night before, he would've tried – for Peeta. He folds the letter and puts it back in his pocket.He lays his head on his left arm on Peeta's bed near the younger boy's hip, holding Peeta's left hand with his right.

He spends the next couple days like that, only leaving when Fennel, Maxamilian, Wheet, Rie, or Delly come to sit with Peeta and make him go eat. Sometimes Fennel brings him a sandwich and the two of them sit with Peeta. Fennel tells Cato stories of Peeta learning to frost his first cookie, the first time he kneaded a loaf of bread, and the first cupcake he decorated. He tells Cato that Peeta's first word was cookie followed by dada. He also tells Cato about the abuse Peeta suffered at the hands of his mother, the guilt that ate at him, and how he was going to spend the rest of his life making it up to Peeta.

Cato tells Fennel about meeting Peeta in the training center, how they got their high scores, how proud he was Peeta that night, and the argument the night before the arena. He tells Fennel how Finnick was trying to keep them apart before the games but backed down in the hovercraft on their way to 13. And how he still doesn't trust Finnick.

It was the fourth morning Peeta was in the hospital. Cato is sleeping in his normal position with his head on the bed, right hand holding Peeta's left when he's pulled from his slumber by the feeling of someone playing with his hair. When he opens his eyes, he looks up to see the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he's missed seeing. Then he hears a voice that sounds like music to his ears despite the raspy quality it has.

"Hey sleepy head, that doesn't look like a very comfortable position to be sleeping in," Peeta says quietly.

"Peeta!" Cato says breathlessly as he slowly sits up. "You're awake!"

"Well, thank you for pointing out the obvious," Peeta teases, his voice not as raspy. "What does a guy have to do to get a kiss from his boyfriend?" he asks arching his eyebrow.

Cato quickly stands and leans down, giving him a gentle kiss.

"That's better," Peeta says as Cato pulls away.

"How are you feeling?" asks Cato sitting on the bed next to Peeta.

"I can honestly say I've felt better," he admits. "I need to tell you something and it's going to upset you."

"If this is about you sharing a room with Finnick, Clove told me," Cato tells him hoping to relieve the guilt he hears in Peeta's voice.

"Okay. That was part of it…" Peeta begins.

"And I know that you know about the ring," Cato interrupts looking down at his feet missing the exasperated look on Peeta's face.

"Yes, and we can discuss that later," Peeta says laying a hand on Cato's knee trying to get him to look at Peeta. "Will you please let me tell you what I have to say? It's important."

Cato gives Peeta an apologetic smile, "Okay."

"Just so you know, I'm still upset about this so, yeah," Peeta says fidgeting with the blanket on his lap. "When I woke up in my bed in the bunker, I wasn't alone. At first I thought I was still here and District 8 was a dream. I rolled over expecting you … and saw Finnick." He looks up at Cato and sees nothing, no emotion on his face. "I jumped out of the bed and screamed at him. He claims I had a nightmare and wouldn't wake up." Peeta is worried how Cato will answer the next question. "Cato, please, am I really that hard to wake up?" he asks quietly looking down into his lap again. When Cato doesn't reply, Peeta begins to tear up the guilt eating away at him. He sniffles.

Cato hears and looks up at Peeta. "Oh baby, please don't cry," he says as he moves to sit next to Peeta. He puts his arm gently around him, feeling Peeta lean into him. "I'm sorry. I was trying to reign in my anger. I really want to go smash Finnick's face!" He kisses the top of Peeta's head. "And to answer your question, you are not that hard to wake up."

Peeta tilts his head to look at Cato. "You think he lied then? Why would he lie to me?" he asks confused.

"Simple. He wants you back," Cato tells him.

"But he said –" Peeta begins.

"He lied Peeta. It's not hard to understand," Cato interrupts. "You are just too loveable."

Peeta's cheeks turn pink. "No I'm not."

"But you are," Cato says tilting Peeta's chin. "I love you," he says before kissing Peeta's lips.

"I love you too Cato," Peeta tells him.

Cato leans down and captures Peeta's lips again, effectively cutting off anything else Peeta was about to say. "You love me," Cato says happily pulling away, foreheads still touching.

"I do. I told Finnick as well. I'm just sorry he heard it before you. As did Clove," Peeta admits sadly.

"I don't care. You just told me and I'm happy," Cato admits.

Peeta lays his head on Cato's shoulder and yawns.

"You're tired. Why don't you go back to sleep," Cato suggests.

Before Peeta can respond, there's a knock on the door before it opens and Dr. Aurelius walks in. He sees the two boys on the bed and smiles.

"Hello Dr. A.," Peeta says sleepily making Cato chuckle lightly.

"Good morning boys. It's good to see you awake Peeta. How're you feeling?" the doctor asks walking over to the side of the bed closer to Peeta. He sees Cato about to get off the bed put indicates to stay by holding up a hand. "Are you in any pain Peeta?"

Peeta sits up straight. "Not really. My back stings a little and I feel a little stiff." He replies.

Cato's stomach rumbles and is heard by all three.

"Cato, why don't you go down and see if Sae or Fennel has anything for you to eat," Dr. Aurelius suggests with a smile. "I'm just going to give Peeta a quick check and let him sleep. He looks tired. You can come back after you eat."

"Thanks Dr. A.," Cato says before turning to look at Peeta. "I'll be back, I promise," he says as he stands. He leans down and gives Peeta one last kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Peeta says smiling up at him.

Cato waves to them as he walks out. In the elevator he decides to take a quick shower and change his clothes before hitting the dining hall. Thirty minutes later, he's sitting at a table eating a breakfast sandwich Fennel had made to take up to him. Cato laughed as Sae chased Fennel out of the kitchen area with a ladle when Cato told them Peeta was awake. She had winked at Cato as she returned to work on lunch. As he finishes his sandwich, the doors open and his friends run in.

"Is it true? Peeta's awake?" Gale asks sitting next to Cato.

"Yes, he woke up earlier," Cato says as the others sit down around him. "His dad just left to see him."

"How do you think we found out Brainless?" Johanna says.

"So why are you here with me instead of seeing Peeta?" Cato asks a little confused.

"Do you think Dr. Aurelius would let us take Bread Boy out for a little spin and get a change of scenery?" Clove asks.

"We could ask, but where were you thinking and why?" Cato asks.

Foxface flashes a sheet of paper. "Do you remember our talk in the hangar?" she asks.

"Yeah, sure," Cato replies.

"Decided to get everyone in the loop," Delly tells him. "Peeta included."

"Got it," Cato replies. "I was headed up there now, why don't you all come with me."

"Let's go," Katniss says pulling Marvel up with her. "I hate not knowing what's going on."

They head to the medical center and see Dr. Aurelius and Fennel walking out of Peeta's room.

"Is everything okay? Is Peeta okay?" asks Cato.

"He's fine Cato," Dr. Aurelius replies. "Glad you're back and with friends. This is great. I won't have to repeat myself. Peeta's doing well. I want to keep him one more night for observation. He will have to take it really easy for the next week – no heavy lifting, no running, that kind of stuff. I feel real good about his recovery, but I also want to caution you all about over taxing him. He needs his rest. Any questions for me?"

"Actually, we do have one," Rie speaks up. "We were hoping that you'd let us take him to the gardens for about an hour. In a wheelchair of course, so he wouldn't have to exert himself."

Dr. Aurelius thinks for a moment making the group a little nervous. He turns to Fennel. "I'm okay with the short trip. But as his parent, you have a say as well."

"Please dad," pleads Wheet. "If we all go with him, we won't be keeping him awake taking turns seeing him in the room. And we're only asking for an hour."

"I guess it's okay seeing as Dr. Aurelius id fine with it," Fennel gives in. "But if Peeta looks tired, you bring him back immediately understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Mellark," they chorus making Fennel and Dr. Aurelius laugh.

"There are a wheelchair and a blanket in the closet in his room," Dr. Aurelius tells them. "Stop at the nurse's station and let them know when you're leaving please. I will be keeping an eye on the time."

It's decided Cato, Gale, Wheet, and Rie will go in while the other's wait in the hall.

"I'm not going in. I don't need to see Peeta Bread's pale white buns again," Johanna teases as the 4 boys open the door to go in.

Peeta gives them a questioning look as the door closes. "What the hell was JoJo talking about?" he asks slightly embarrassed and upset.

Wheet and Rie head to the closet, removing the wheelchair and a blanket. Gale moves the chair Cato had been sleeping in. Cato walks over to Peeta. "We're breaking you out of here for a little while," he says as he pulls the covers down. "Nice gown," he comments as he picks Peeta up bridal style. He sets him gently in the wheelchair before Rie tucks a blanket around him. They leave the room, Cato pushing Peeta.

It's Johanna that lets the blonde nurse at the desk know they're leaving. "Hey lady, we're taking Peeta Bread now. Be sure to note the time would ya?" she says slamming her hands on the counter. When the nurse turns around its Prim. "Primmy! I'm sorry about that. Would you please let the doc know what time we left?" she apologizes.

"Sure thing Jo," Prim says smiling. "Hey Peeta, good to see you up."

"Hi Prim," he replies. "Thanks."

They split into two groups to head to the gardens. They decide to head to the gazebo figuring it's far enough out of the way. Wheet helps Cato get the chair up the steps. Cato sits on the bench next to where he parks Peeta.

"Before we get down to business, I have a question I want answered," Johanna says as she sits next to Wheet, his arm wraps around her waist. "We have all heard about the big guy's confession. I think we're all dying to know if Peeta Bread there has admitted it himself to the big guy," she says staring at Peeta.

"Not that it's any of your business JoJo, or anybody else's for that fact," Peeta begins, taking Cato's hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. "But yes I have. Happy now?"

"About fuckin' time!" she exclaims while the other girls just 'Aww'.

"Not that I'm not glad to be out of that room and here with all of you again, but why exactly are we here?" Peeta asks once the girls have calmed down.

"Well, while you were getting ready to leave on your mission, Foxface found some 'interesting' info on our good President Coin," Delly says.

They all turn to Foxface.

"So I was cleaning out one of the rooms that were being used as storage to make room for the new refugees that keep arriving. Anyway, I came across an interesting box. Inside was this," she says holding up a piece of paper. "Actually, this is just a photocopy. But what it contains is Coin's birth certificate. Her parents were a Hunger Games Victor and our very own President Snow."

Everyone began speaking at once and Cato had to whistle to silence them. "Let her finish and she'll answer questions one at a time," he says giving the floor back to Foxface.

"Thanks Cato," she says before continuing. "I actually have copies of the birth certificate for everyone. And here's why, I don't trust Coin. There's something off about her."

"So, why'd you make us all copies?" asks Marvel.

"Like I said, I don't trust her. I want us each to have an insurance policy so to speak," Foxface explains. "But there's more. The box was unlabeled. I put the box in a hidden place to go through it better, to see what else might be hidden."

"You know, I thought it was a little strange that she only sent Katniss, Peeta, and I to District 12," Wheet begins. "She said it was 'to remind you what you're fighting for'. Like we needed reminding. And why didn't she send Rie, Delly, Madge, and Gale as well? Aren't we all fighting to free the districts and end the Hunger Games?"

"I have a theory," Foxface says. "You were going on a mission; she wanted you focused on that. They haven't been given one yet. I bet once they do, she'll send them."

"Wouldn't it have been more logical to send us all at once?" Madge asks.

"I thought about that. She couldn't send all of you because she let those three take someone along of their choice, a support. If she sent all seven of you and let you take someone, there wouldn't have been anyone here," Foxface explains. "It's her way of controlling us, ALL of us."

"But why would she want to control us?" asks Tavin, his youthful inexperience showing through.

"Because when we win the war, we'll show that we supported her leadership. With that, she takes over her father's position," Foxface says. "Once that happens, she controls all of Panem. Who knows what laws she'll pass? She could even use us to end the games by suggesting one more game – this time with the children of the Capitol. Snow has an orphaned grandchild as we all know. She can make sure the said child is entered thus ending any other family member from trying to usurp her position. All without ever admitting any relations."

"Makes sense," comments Katniss. "Is that why you copied the birth certificate? For proof of relation?"

"Partly," admits Foxface. "Like I said, I don't trust her. Plus, I have been trying to look at every possible scenario. I want to make sure we and our families are safe and protected."

"I'm curious," Johanna says. "Is it just this group you're telling? Because as a mentor, you could probably get the other mentors behind you as well."

"I'm glad you brought that up, Johanna," says Foxface. "I've made 100 copies – enough for the mentors, our families, and any others we may find as 'allies'."

With that last comment, the group begins to talk amongst themselves. Cato notices Peeta is beginning to look tired. Gale and Clove offer to go back with the couple. The others had decided to go to lunch. Once Cato got Peeta settled in his bed, Clove and Gale decide that they have something to say before Peeta rests. Gale goes first.

"So, Clove told me what happened in District 8 with Finnick. Peeta, it sounds like he truly hasn't given up on you."

"I know Gale," Peeta replies. "But what do you suggest that I do? I'm pretty sure if I kill him, it will be frowned upon."

"I have an idea," Clove speaks up next. "You may not like it, either of you, but it could be what you need to do."

"And what do you think will help this situation Clover?" Cato asks curiously.

"Simple. Peeta shows the ring you gave him," she answers. When she sees the look – is that fear? - Cato gives her, she continues. "I realize that neither one of you may be ready for that step, but just think about it for a minute. Point 1 – it will get Finnick to back down if he thinks you are committing to one another. Point 2 – the districts love the 2 of you. We all saw that in District 8 Peeta. If the districts hear that the two of you have decided to commit to each other, they could join the rebellion quicker thus ending the war sooner. It really is a win-win situation."

Peeta thinks for a moment before commenting. "Let's say we do this. What happens if they want to see the ceremony _before_ joining the rebellion?"

"Ah, that is a good question," Gale says. "You two just preemptively say that you want to wait until _after_ the war is over and Snow is gone."

Cato looks at Peeta conflicted. He would love to spend the rest of his life with Peeta but can he ask him to do something this drastic? This is just too crazy. Peeta interrupts his thoughts.

"Maybe you should talk to my dad Cato. Get him in on this. Then we can take it public."

"Wait! What?" Cato is confused. Does Peeta really want to do this?

"Go get permission from my dad. You kind of have to. I am only 17. I won't be 18 until July." Peeta says.

"Are you sure? Because it sounds like you're saying that you want to be with me, as in forever," says Cato still unable to comprehend what's going on. "I mean, there is no getting out of a marriage you know."

Peeta looks at Cato and understands what he's really saying. He gives it serious thought before speaking. "Do I wish we had the chance to do this in a better way? Yes. But Clove and Gale are right, it will help keep Finnick away and bring the districts to our cause. How many people know you gave me the ring besides the 4 of us?"

"Just Delly, Wheet, Foxface, and my dad." Cato looks at Peeta sadly. "I had to tell my dad Peeta. He's in charge of keeping that particular law back in District 2." Cato tells him.

"That's fine. If we tell him our plan and why we're doing it, will he be willing to start the 6 months from when we announce this?" Peeta asks.

"I can talk to him, but I honestly don't know if adding a couple of days is going to really matter," Cato says.

"Maybe I should talk to him," Peeta offers. "I might be able to convince him to add a couple days. A couple days could be all it takes to decide the war you know. But you still need to speak to my dad, get his permission. As soon as possible."

"Yay!" Clove exclaims. "And I will help plan the wedding with Bread Boy here. Don't worry, we'll keep it simple."

"Clove!" Gale and Cato exclaim at the same time making Peeta and Clove laugh. Gale and Cato join in.

Once the laughter dies down, Peeta speaks. "Actually, if we let it slip that she's helping us plan, it could prove to be helpful."

"This is so awesome!" exclaims Clove.

"Never really pictured you as a girly girl Clover. It's kind of nice," Cato admits with a smile.

"Don't get used to it Muscles. I'm doing this for Peeta," she tells him. "But I still plan on being your Best Woman."

"Hopefully this will help give Finnick a hint," Gale says trying to keep an argument from brewing between Cato and Clove. "I can't believe the nerve of that guy."

"I try not to think about it," Peeta says. "Otherwise he wins."

"Fine. I'll talk to Mr. Mellark first thing in the morning. Is everyone happy now?" Cato pouts. "And can we stop talking about Fish Boy?"

"Cato, love, really? Fish Boy?" Peeta just snickers. "As for my dad, tonight would be best. Just talk to him. Once he agrees, maybe we can figure a way to let the whole country know, get this war over. Now, can you guys go? I'm sorry but I'm really tired," Peeta says yawning.

Cato leans down and kisses Peeta. "I love you," he says so only Peeta can hear him.

"I love you too," Peeta replies just as quietly, smiling up at Cato. He watches as the three of them leave his room before he closes his eyes and finally succumbs to sleep.

Cato is freaking out. Again. Yes, he wants to stop Finnick. Yes, he wants this war over. Yes, he can see a future with Peeta and him happily married. But, did he force Peeta into this? Does Peeta really want to be bound to him? The more he ponders that question, the more he wonders if Peeta really does love him. Crap, another headache.

"Muscles you're overthinking this again. Just get Mr. Mellark's permission. It's that easy," she tells him.

"Great, that's easy for you to say. You're not the one that has to go ask for permission. Not that you'll ever have to worry about that, being a girl and all." He turns to Gale. "What do I say exactly? And what if he asks me if Peeta wants to do this? Because I honestly don't know if he does."

"Cato, just follow your gut instinct. Mr. Mellark will say yes," he tells Cato. "Clove and I will talk to Cressida and Castor for ideas on how to announce your engagement."

"And if you ask me, Peeta is in on the plan and even made suggestions. I would venture to say it's a safe bet he wants to do this Cato," Clove says rather gently.

"What if Mr. Mellark doesn't think we've known each other long enough? I mean, we only meet like a month ago. Is that long enough to want a committed relationship? That might help in this situation," Cato comments.

"Then just be honest with the man. Tell him you want his permission to marry Peeta someday in the future. He'll give you permission. Especially if you tell him about Finnick's interference of your relationship with Peeta. If you mention how he's just not getting the message that Peeta's with you, it couldn't hurt," Gale says.

"And save the rule about your ring unless you just _absolutely_ need to use it," Clove adds. "I still believe you're overthinking this Muscles. We've all heard the man refer to you as family."

"Fine," Cato says resignedly as the walk into the dining hall. He spends the rest of the afternoon with Clove, Gale, Marvel, and Katniss in the special weapons training so that Peeta's siblings could spend time with him. Cato, Clove, and Marvel have decided to get lessons on how to shot a bow. By the time they leave for dinner, they can hit a stationary target. Cato runs to his room for a quick shower before dinner. After, Clove and Gale wish Cato luck with Mr. Mellark as he wishes them luck with their mission.

Fennel smiles at Cato as he approaches. "Hey Cato, is everything okay? Is Peeta alright?"

Cato hears the worry when Peeta's name was spoken. "Hi Mr. Mellark. Peeta's fine. He went back to the room to rest before spending time with Wheet, Rie, and Delly this afternoon. Um, there's something I need to talk to you about when you get a chance. It's important." He rubs his hand on the back of his neck.

Fennel sees the nervous gesture Cato makes. "Why don't you let me give the instructions for the morning set-up and we'll go talk in my room, okay?"

"Yes sir, that'd be fine," Cato replies. He still has no idea of how to go about asking the man for permission to marry his son.

Fennel returns a few minutes later and they head out to his room. Neither one speaks until they reach the room and are sitting down.

"Cato son, you seem rather nervous about something. Are you sure you're okay?"

"There's something I want to ask you," Cato admits rather quietly. "And I'm finding the words hard to come to me."

"You know you can ask me anything. You're like family," Fennel says reassuringly and encouragingly.

"That's kind of what I want to talk to you about," Cato admits looking down at his sweaty hands before taking a deep breath. He looks back up at Fennel. "I'd like your permission to ask Peeta to marry me."

Fennel sits back shocked. He knew this day was coming, but not so soon. From what he knows, he's pretty sure there is more going on that what has been said so far. "I don't know Cato," he begins slowly. "This seems rather sudden. Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Cato sits back as well, resigned to the fact that this was not going to be as easy as Gale and Clove told him it could be. "Yes sir, there is," Cato admits. He then goes on to tell Fennel about Finnick, starting with the events in training center to the most recent in District 8. "I realize how this may all seem, but I do love Peeta sir. And he loves me too. You should also know that just because I ask him doesn't mean that we'll get married any time soon." He adds the last hoping that it will sway Fennel to agree.

"That's quite the story. I had found out during the games about my son and Mr. Odair. Now you're telling me that the man knows that Peeta is with you and is trying to break you up." Fennel doesn't want his son with the older man but isn't sure that Cato and Peeta getting married is the answer either. At least any time soon. "If I give you permission to ask Peeta, just when do you see this wedding taking place?"

"After the war sir. Unless it ends soon. Then it would be 6 months or longer – when the time is right. I realize that Peeta and I haven't been together that long and that is why I think a long engagement would be better." If Fennel agrees but the war isn't over in 6 months … that's something he and Peeta can deal with together.

"That sounds fair," Fennel says smiling. "I'm really glad you don't just want to run and get married just to keep Mr. Odair away. I'll give you my permission on one condition that is non-negotiable. That condition is you wait at least 6 months before getting married."

Cato is relieved. "You have my word that there will be no wedding for 6 months – minimum. Thank you sir." Cato says happily.

"Go on and get out of here son," Fennel laughs. "I know you must be anxious to get back to Peeta after giving up an afternoon with him. Tell him I'll see him tomorrow."

They both stand up and shake hands. As Cato opens the door, he sees Hazel standing there ready to knock on the door.

"Hello Mrs. Hawthorne. Why don't you come in? I'm sure Mr. Mellark would be happy to see you. I have to go, Peeta's waiting."

"Okay, see you Cato," Hazel says.

Cato runs to the elevator with the sounds of Fennel and Hazel's laughter following him. He can't wait to tell Peeta what his dad said. The next step is to his dad to play along with the 6 month timeline. Cato opens the door and sees that Peeta has just finished eating.

Peeta looks up when he hears the door open and sees Cato standing there with a goofy grin on his face. Peeta smiles and asks, "So, how'd it go with my dad?"

"Nerve-wracking," Cato admits as he walks over towards Peeta. "I was so nervous. Oh, and I had to tell him all about Finnick. But he gave me permission to ask you to marry me. But I'm not going to do it here in this room. And I think we should wait until after we talk to my dad. Which we're going to do after breakfast tomorrow, hopefully."

Peeta smiles at Cato's rambling. "I told you he'd say yes though."

"You did. But he only said yes after the whole Finnick thing," Cato says.

"Doesn't matter, I was right," Peeta teases as he scoots over on his bed. "Now come snuggle with me!"

Cato kicks his boots off, removes his pants, and climbs on the bed. "Since when have you become so needy?" he asks teasing.

"Since I got shot," Peeta says as he lays his head on Cato's chest. "You were needy once too. Back in the arena when we got that bed."

"I miss that bed. It was really comfy," Cato says wistfully.

Dr. Aurelius knocks on the door and enters the room. He sees the two boys and shakes his head. "No funny business boys. This is a medical facility."

"Yes Dr. Aurelius," both boys say.

"I had heard from Prim that you came back before your hour was up, how were you feeling?" the doc asks.

"I was just a little tired and came back for a nap."

"Good, good. So, I've come to tell you that I'm going to let you leave tomorrow after your final check." Dr. Aurelius tells Peeta.

"Do you know when that might be? I'd kind of like to have breakfast with my family," Peeta asks.

"I think that can be arranged. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning," Dr. Aurelius says as he backs his way to the door. He opens the door and nearly runs into Clove and Gale. "Don't stay long you two, Peeta needs to rest if he's going to eat in the dining hall tomorrow for breakfast."

"Yes Doctor," Clove and Gale say before they enter the room. As soon as the door shuts, they rush over to the bed.

"So big guy, how'd it go?" Gale asks Cato.

"Yeah, do I get to plan a wedding?" Clove just asks.

"It went fine and yes, he agreed," Cato tells Gale. "But, we still need to talk to my dad now. Which, if everything goes well, will be tomorrow after breakfast."

"Did you guys talk to Cressida or Castor yet?" Peeta asks.

"Right after dinner," Gale replies. "They suggest that you announce your engagement tomorrow at dinner."

"Are we certain we can trust them not to say anything to anyone before then?" asks Cato.

Gale rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah. We kind of promised they could film the announcement," he says. "And the wedding. As well as some of the planning events."

"What else did you promise them Gale?" Peeta asks knowingly.

"A private interview with the 2 of you once Peeta is all healed," Clove says looking down at her feet.

Peeta looks up at Cato. "I guess we could do that. It shouldn't be too bad. Not like Caesar."

"Well, we better be going now," Gale says pulling Clove with him towards the door.

"Good night boys," Clove says waving to them.

Cato and Peeta sit there quietly thinking about what was going to happen tomorrow. Cato takes Peeta's hand in his. "Peeta, I am so sorry about all this. I never meant to force this on you," he says sadly.

Peeta turns towards Cato. He puts his hands on Cato's face, forcing him to look at Peeta. "Cato, I am only going to say this once. I am doing this because I want to. I'm doing it for us as it protects us both. You won't get shunned and I won't have to deal with Finnick pushing himself on me. We're in this together." He says gently but forcefully as well.

"I love you Peeta."

"And I love you Cato. Let's get some sleep."

Dr. Aurelius walks in shortly after they wake up the next morning. After a quick check, he sends the boys off telling Peeta to take it easy. They go back to their room where they shower and dress for the day. They head down to the dining hall and have breakfast with the rest of the gang. When they finish eating, they head over to talk to Maxamilian.

"Good morning boys," Ceteria says as they walk up. "Peeta, it is so good to see you again."

"Good morning Mrs. Canelos. It's good to see you as well," Peeta tells her.

"Good morning mom," Cato says giving her a kiss on her cheek.

"You boys look like you need to talk. I'm going to go get Cleo and Gaius and take them to school now. Behave yourselves," she says as she gets up from the table.

As soon as she's gone, Maxamilian turns to the boys. "What's on your mind guys?"

Peeta and Cato proceed to tell him about their problems with Finnick and their plan to announce their engagement that night.

"So, I know you are aware that Cato gave me his ring already. Is it possible to fudge with the days just a little to make the 6 month deadline from today's date?" Peeta asks him hopefully.

Maxamilian sits back and looks at the two boys across from him, thinking. "You know, I don't have a problem doing that. So, tonight huh? And it'll be filmed? You boys have guts," he tells them smiling. "I guess I'll see you then. I still have classes to teach," he says standing up.

_**Meanwhile, in the prison wing at that time**_

Coin walks down the hall towards the room that holds Leonitus. She unlocks the door and goes in.

"Hello Leonitus. So glad you could join us and are awake now," she says.

"Coin," he replies.

"I'm here to make you an offer. You join our side and when we win, I give you whatever your black heart desires. But not until _after_ I'm sworn into office. What do you say?" she asks.

"And what if I decide it's Peeta Mellark that I want?" he counter questions.

"That might be worked out," Coin tells him. It would mess with her original plans for the boy. But knowing what she did about the young man in front of her, this may be even better. "You will have to be kept in this cell for just a little longer. I'll make sure you're well fed and kept comfortable until the time comes to let you out. And when you do get out, you will have to avoid Peeta – but only for the time being."

"Fine, you have yourself a deal then," Leonitus says. "But remember Peeta _**will**_ be mine."

"Sure, sure. I'll be back later to see if your needs are being met," Coin says before opening the door to let herself out. "Oh, you should know that it's not only Cato and you that want Peeta. I've seen _the_ Finnick Odair watching him with loving eyes." She laughs as she walks away.

_**Back in the Hallway**_

Peeta and Cato watch him leave. Cato sees movement from the corner of his eye and gives a slight nod. He gets up from the table as Katniss and Marvel come over and begin to talk to Peeta.

Foxface came through for him. He's puts the map in his back pocket. He goes over and takes the basket from Greasy Sae and waves to Fennel who winks at him. He walks back to Peeta and sees the questioning look Peeta gives him as Marvel and Katniss discreetly walk away.

"It's a surprise," is all Cato says offering his hand to Peeta. As they leave the dining hall, neither one saw the sad look on Finnick's face.

The two boys follow the map to an unused wing that looked like it had been abandoned years ago. Foxface had found a virtual reality room and mentioned it to Cato the day before. When they reached the door to the room, they stop.

Cato turns to Peeta. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life," Peeta replies leaning up to give Cato a quick peck on his lips.

Cato pulls a bandana out from his back pocket. "I'm going to blindfold you for a short period," he says. Peeta just nods and Cato ties the blindfold over Peeta's eyes. He leans down and kisses Peeta before opening the door to the control room and grabbing the picnic basket. He leads Peeta into the room. They stop and Cato hands the basket to Peeta for a moment as he turns on a light and then the equipment – following the instructions that Foxface gave him. He finds the program he wants and enters the program. The door to his left beeps twice before opening. Cato takes the basket from Peeta and guides him into the room. He waits until the door closes before he pulls the blanket out of the basket and spreads it out. He puts the basket on a corner and turns to Peeta. He gives him another kiss, this one a little deeper than the previous, and hears Peeta moan. He pulls away.

"I'm going to take off the blindfold now Peeta. It's going to be a little bright, so be warned," Cato tells the shorter boy.

When Peeta opens his eyes, he sees a beautifully large, grassy meadow as far as the eye can see with colorful wildflowers scattered around. The sky, he notes, is a beautiful shade of sunset orange with wispy clouds floating by.

"Where are we?" Peeta asks in wonder, watching several butterflies flying by. "This is absolutely beautiful."

Cato is happy to see the joy on Peeta's face. He sits down on the blanket next to the basket. He reaches up and gently pulls Peeta into his lap.

"A special place. A place where our troubles are non-existent for a short time," Cato says softly, his head resting on Peeta's shoulder.

Peeta leans his head back to Cato's shoulder, "It's amazing. Truly. Very romantic."

"I'm happy you think so love," Cato says smiling. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time here, so I thought maybe …," Cato says as he sits up a little straighter. He reaches into the basket and pulls out Peeta's sketch pad and colored pencils. "I'm hoping you'll want to remember our time here," he adds as he hands the items to Peeta.

Peeta's eyes widen and he smiles wide at Cato. "You are the most amazingly, wonderful, and thoughtful boyfriend a guy could have," he says placing a kiss on Cato's cheek. "What else are you hiding in that basket of yours?"

"That's going to remain a secret for now love," Cato teases.

Forty five minutes and 3 drawings later, Peeta looks down at Cato lying next to him. His eyes are closed, looking very relaxed, Peeta studies him. He jumps when Cato speaks.

"You all done love?" he asks.

"Yeah," Peeta replies.

"Good," Cato says sitting up. He looks at Peeta. "Close your eyes," he commands gently. Peeta immediately complies. Cato reaches into the basket and pulls out a box. He opens the box and pulls out a small cake that Fennel made for him. Cato woke up super early to sneak down to the kitchen area to ask Fennel to make a small cake for him. He admire the simple little cake with its white frosting and blue lettering. Cato pulls the ring he took from Peeta chain while he was in the shower from his pocket and sets it in the center of the cake.

"You can open those beautiful blue eyes now," Cato says as he keeps the cake hidden for the moment.

Peeta looks at Cato with a puzzled smile.

"Peeta, I realize I made a mess of things for us when I gave you my ring. But I have no regrets now. Since I met you, I have been the happiest I've ever been in my entire life. I don't ever want to let go of that feeling either. That sounded so much less corny in my head but I hope that you'll look past that and answer this one question," he says as he put the cake in front of Peeta. "Will you marry me?"

Peeta looks down at the cake. He recognizes it as his dad's work. Cato and his name are on the top of the cake with the ring and it looks like it reads 'will you marry me?' around the sides. He looks up at Cato, tears in his eyes. He realizes just how much trouble Cato went through to give him this moment. He smiles as the tears begin to fall.

"Yes Cato, I will," he says.

**Okay, Peeta told Cato he loved him, Clove got them to announce their engagement, and Cato proposed. Was the proposal good? I thought it was sweet but it is my story. Is that some sort of self adoration on my behalf? lol **

**Curious as to what's in the next chapter? **

**Cato leaves District 13. More of Coin's secrets will be revealed! And one of them may have to do with one of the kids… There will be flashbacks and fighting as well. Stay tuned for chapter 20. **


	20. Chapter 20 Secrets and Devastation

_**The Games We Played**_

_**Hi everyone! I know it's been like two weeks and I am truly sorry. I had 4 birthdays and 3 business meetings to deal with. I had this chapter and the next one hand written within 48 hours of posting the last chapter. The problem was getting the time to use my computer. Hope that this chapter will be worth the wait ;)**_

_**yuntani: Thank you for the kind words about the proposal. As for Coin not killing Leonitus, can't tell you right now.**_

_**movetotherhythm: Leonitus wasn't supposed to become more than a pawn for Snow but now that he's in District 13, he's growing on me… Coin is an enigma to me right now. She just keeps me on my toes lol. And I'm glad you liked the proposal scene. And no self-adoration for me. I almost gave them the proposal I got but figured I should keep it more romantic rather than, well, kinky lol.**_

_**MangoMagic: Yay, happy for their wedding! But is your concern about Coin and Leonitus justified?**_

_**lincolnlog89: Worried about what's to come? Yeah, me too ;) I really don't know who shot Peeta yet. No one will tell me either lol. Oh, and plenty more Leonitus to come. Finnick and Leonitus? Hmmm, very interesting….**_

_**SakuraDrops141: Hey, I'm so happy that you are up to date with us! I'm also glad you really like my story. Leonitus does make for a very interesting villain. And Coin has much up her sleeve – she just hasn't told me all of it yet…**_

_**CupcakeSprinkles14: I'm glad you liked the proposal! Here's the next chapter woohoo!**_

_**And to those who recently added this story, you have my sincerest thanks. It means a lot to me.**_

Chapter 20 Secrets and Devastation

Cato had been in District 5 for 3 weeks now and it truly sucked. Right now it was only 11 am and he was on patrol with Gale. At least he was partnered with someone he liked, a friend. But it didn't make daytime patrol any better. He hated day patrols because it left the nights thinking of Peeta. He wondered what he was doing, if he was safe, if he was having nightmares, if he was on a mission himself. At least if Peeta was on a mission, Boggs was going to pair him with Tavin. The couple had privately talked to Boggs about their engagement and the Finnick situation. Boggs was all too happy to switch the teams. All of which brings Cato's thoughts back to being on day patrol. He hoped this standoff with the peacekeepers would end soon. The District 13 troops had secured the power plants and the city limits, but the citizens were still danger of the peacekeepers. Jackson told their group this morning during the team briefing that more troops were being sent in to end the standoff. With 12 gone and Districts 6 – 11 in rebel control, they were getting closer to ending the war and he and Peeta have the option to push back their wedding date. Although, if the next 4 districts take as long as 5 is, they me married before Snow is removed from power. Cato was finding himself more comfortable with the idea of being married to Peeta sooner rather than later. Even Coin seemed okay with the idea of their wedding…

_They walked into the dining hall. It was packed. Everyone they knew was sitting at the main table in the center of the room. It looked like all of District 13 was there as well. Cato gives Peeta's hand a squeeze. It was time. They look over and see Castor and Pollux with their cameras and filming Cressida talking to different people. It was set up to look like another propo. Cato clears his throat._

"_Excuse me," he says loudly over the din of voices. "I have an announcement to make."_

_All eyes turn towards the couple. Even those working in the kitchen area come out. Once all the attention is on them, Cato continues._

"_Actually, we have an announcement," Cato clarifies looking down at Peeta smiling. "I have asked Peeta to marry me …" he begins._

"_And I said yes," Peeta finishes holding up his left hand showing off the ring Cato gave him (again) during their picnic._

_A loud roar rings through the hall followed by thunderous applause. Their families and friends come over to congratulate them. Coin also comes over with Plutarch in tow. Neither boy had seen them enter as they made their announcement._

"_Congratulations boys," she says smiling at the couple._

"_Thank you madam President," they reply together._

"_Madam President, boys, what a wonderful opportunity for another propo to pull all the districts together…" Plutarch begins._

"_I'm sorry to interrupt Madam President, Plutarch," Maxamilian says stepping up. "The boys just got engaged and announced it. Maybe we should let them enjoy that for the time being." He points over to Castor and Pollux, "Their announcement did get recorded."_

"_Oh, yes, well, wonderful. Of course the propo can wait," Plutarch stutters embarrassed._

"_If you don't mind, I'd like to take the boys to celebrate this happy occasion with their friends and family," Maxamilian says putting an arm around each boy to lead them to the table._

"_Enjoy your evening boys," Coin says before walking back out of the dining hall._

That was 4 weeks ago. The heartbreak on Finnick's face as he left the hall soon after Coin was almost laughable to Cato if it wasn't for the fact that the whole engagement was a fluke, a miscalculation on Cato's part. And now Peeta was playing along. Sure Peeta says he wants this and that they're in this together but the guilt still eats at Cato.

"You know, if Peeta thinks you're second guessing your engagement, it will hurt him," Gale says knowingly. "And don't try to deny it. You went from serious, to happy, to looking like you just stole one of Mr. Mellark's cookies just now."

"I can't help it. I keep thinking how Peeta is back in 13 filming propos with Clove about our wedding and I'm here in 5 like I'm avoiding the planning. On top of that, I still feel like I forced this all on Peeta," Cato admits.

"Cato, you didn't force anything," Gale tells him. "Do you remember the night of the interviews? How you couldn't even get him to talk about his past? You can't force Peeta to do anything. Hell, the boy is as stubborn as you. And I should know, I did live with him for about 6 years."

"Hmmm," is all Cato says. Moments later he speaks again. "He did look happy in that propo they showed last night, right?"

"You mean the one where he spent 5 minutes telling _all_ of Panem about your 'beautiful, icy blue eyes'? I particularly liked when he said, 'his icy blue eyes that are warm pools of light'," Gale teases. "Or maybe it was how he'd get a dreamy look whenever he said your name?"

"SHUT UP Gale!" laughs Gale.

"Hey guys, Jackson wants us back at camp," Gloss says running up to the pair with Cashmere in tow. "The new squads are going to be here in about 10 minutes."

The four run back to camp just as the first hovercraft lands. They quickly join their squad already in formation to welcome the new arrivals. Gale and Cato were particularly surprised to notice that the first craft wasn't more troops but medical personnel that included Prim … and Rory?! The two youngsters were followed by Dr. Aurelius and Lily Everdeen. Gale and Cato share a look. If such a large medical team was sent to their position, the fight for District 5 was about to get very serious.

The first hovercraft leaves and the second lands in its place. Out steps Boggs and Brutus followed by Boggs's squad. Bringing up the rear is Clove, Peeta, and Wheet. Three members of Jackson's squad break formation.

"Wheet!" screams Johanna.

"Clove!" screams Gale.

"Peeta!" screams Cato.

Johanna leaps into Wheet's arms as Gale swings Clove in a circle and Cato kisses Peeta. Little did the three couples notice their reunion being filmed by Castor and Pollux and being broadcast across Panem live.

Back in District 13 the family members left behind watch the reunions with smiles and tears, especially Fennel and Ceteria. They had watched Peeta grow more and more depressed the longer Cato was gone. Even the ever happy Posy was aware of how much Peeta was missing Cato. Her giggles at their kiss made everyone laugh. Well, almost everyone.

Leonitus watched the reunion with a blank expression. On the inside he was fuming. Peeta was his! He felt a pair of eyes on him and turned to see Foxface watching him. He remembered her from the games. He even watched a recap of the games when he was with Snow. He saw how she saved Cato's life. He knew she was very intelligent. He gave her a fake smile and turned back to the TV. He watched as Peeta and Cato answered questions about being reunited while they gazed into one another's eyes. Soon, he thought to himself, soon that will be him that Peeta looks at like that. A genuine smile grows on his face before he gets up and leaves the room.

Back in District 5, Boggs and Jackson wait with their teams for Peeta and Cato to finish their interview. None of them could deny the love between the two young men. Even Finnick, who watched with a heart filled with sadness. It had hurt when they announced their engagement. He had spent the night crying quietly in his room with his son. Then a couple days later, during training, he learned he would be partnered with Enobaria. That stung as well because he would never tried anything once Peeta was engaged. He learned to avoid being around Peeta when he could, using his son as an excuse.

Peeta and Cato finally join the awaiting squads. The two groups head over to the justice building where the war room was located to discuss the next step in the battle for District 5. Once everyone was seated, Lyme and Brutus outlined the attack plan for the next morning. Each member of the sniper squad would be located up on a separate rooftop[ while Jackson's squad would be going directly into battle. The sniper squad was to protect the members of the ground squad. The ground squad would lure the peacekeepers towards the sniper squad's best shooters – Peeta, Enobaria, Marvel, and Clove. The remaining 4 snipers were to take out who they could. The hope was that the peacekeepers would either give themselves up or be killed.

When the meeting was over, the two teams went to the Mess tent for lunch. After lunch, Boggs and Jackson gave their groups a 2 hour window in which to catch up. Everyone pretended not to notice when Wheet and Johanna took off alone. The former mentors decided to let the teens visit alone which worked out nicely as Peeta had a lot to tell his friends that were in 5. First he handed out the letters he had for those that had left family behind. Gale had a letter from his brother Vick as well as a picture from Posy. Clove gave him the letter from his mother. Delly, Rie, and Madge had letters from Fennel as well as from Haymitch whom they had all forgiven before they left. Peeta gave Cato letters from his family as well as several drawings from Posy. All had envelopes from Foxface – including those in Boggs squad. Peeta knew what was in these envelopes as he had been with Foxface when the contents were found. It was about a week ago.

_Peeta had just finished his first full week of heavy training since being shot. He was tired but couldn't sleep as Cato wasn't there. He decided to walk around and explore. He decided to go see the work progress on the new housing floor. It was there he ran into Foxface. She was coming out of a storage room pushing a cart full of bedding._

"_Hey Peeta, couldn't sleep either?" she asks._

"_Hey Foxface. Yeah, the body is willing but the brain won't shut down," he tells her._

"_Same here so I decided that I'd make some beds for the refugees due tomorrow. Or should I call them 'new recruits'? I hear that they're mostly young adult that want training for the war against the Capitol." She says._

"_The more people we have fighting would be great," Peeta agrees. "Let me help you make some beds."_

_For the next hour, they make beds and prep the rooms for the new arrivals._

"_Okay, enough of that," Foxface laughs. "I was thinking of going through some more papers. Do you want to join me or would you rather go back to your room now?"_

"_I'll help you if you're really okay with it," Peeta replies._

"_Let's go then," Foxface says._

_She leads him to a different wing on the same floor and grabs the box from behind a loose air vent. They go into a room that has yet to be cleaned and sit on the floor. She hands him a file._

"_If you find anything interesting, let me know," she tells him._

"_Will do," he says taking the file. Inside were mostly invoices of stuff like clothing, fabrics, and other miscellaneous stuff. Stuff from over 10 years ago, really boring. He's startled by Foxface's gasp._

"_What is it?" he asks._

"_You're not going to believe this," she says before showing him the paper she was looking at. _

_Peeta takes the page and starts reading. He looks at Foxface, his blue eyes wide in shock._

"_Leonitus is Snow's grandson?!" he asks disbelievingly._

"_Keep reading, there's more," she tells him quietly._

"_This is not good. All 3 of those tributes Snow spared are related! Do you think they know?" Peeta asks as he continues to read the document._

"_They might by now. But wait until you…" Foxface begins._

"_NO FUCKING WAY!" Peeta hollers._

"_You found it I see," Foxface says softly._

"_My, my, my mother was Snow's niece?!" Peeta stutters in shock._

"_But only by marriage, not by blood," Foxface tries to comfort Peeta._

"_Still, I have a family connection to that, that monster," Peeta says as he hands her back the page._

"_Peeta, we need to tell the others. They'll need to know. The mentor's too," she says gently._

_Peeta sits there for a few minutes playing with the ring on his finger. "Make copies and we will figure out a way to get it to the others," he suggests._

_Fox face nods before they clean up and hide the box again. They head back to their rooms in silence._

Peeta shakes his head to rid the memory.

"Before you open the envelopes from Foxface, we need to join the mentors," Peeta says as he holds up another stack of envelopes. They find the mentors in a tent with Wheet and Johanna.

"Hey Peeta Bread, what are you and the rest of the teen crew doing here?" Johanna asks.

"I have something for you all. I made the others wait until you all had yours as well," Peeta tells her handing her and Wheet their envelopes. He turns and hands one to Brutus, Enobaria, Gloss, Cashmere, and Finnick. "This envelope's contents… well, just open it and read."

"So that's why Leonitus got away with what he did!" exclaims Clove. "He's Snow's _fucking _relative."

"Keep reading, Clover," Peeta encourages while quietly looking down at his feet. He misses her strange look.

"OH HELL NO!" Wheet yells standing up. "Do you have proof this? Peeta?"

"I have a copy of the certificates on me," Peeta says. "We were worried about me bringing so many fat envelopes. We didn't want Coin to get suspicious." Peeta can't bear to look at any of them. "Foxface said 2 more of you would get a copy as well. She just didn't tell me who…"

"I got one," Johanna says rather quietly, which was out of character for her.

"I got one as well."

Peeta turns to the voice stiffly.

"It doesn't change anything love," Cato says walking up to Peeta. "And it certainly doesn't change how I feel about you and your family," he adds as he wraps his arms around Peeta before kissing him on his temple.

"Hey Finnick, aren't you related to this District 4 tribute Ariel?" Brutus asks.

"We're cousins," Finnick replies not sure why it really matters.

"I think Cashmere and I are related to Brie. And there is also a family connection to Marvel and Tavin but I'm not sure exactly how," Gloss says.

"This is getting really crazy weird," Enobaria says.

"What do you mean Eno?" asks Clove.

"Oh little one, it seems that it's time you find out," Enobaria says. "Brutus, I think it's time we told them."

"You're right Eno. I was hoping it could wait until after the war," sighs Brutus. "Everyone should sit down." Once they're all seated, he continues. "Eno and I joined the rebellion when Cato was in his 4th year of training. Clove was in her 3rd year at the academy. You see, Cato and Clove are related to us as well."

"Wait, how is that possible?" asks Cato confused.

"My great grandmother, Brutus's great grandfather, Clove's great-great grandmother, and your great-great grandfather were siblings Cato," Enobaria explains. "We're all descendants of Augustus and Petra Canelos."

Clove and Cato are speechless.

"But being related wasn't the only reason we joined the rebellion," Brutus says looking at Enobaria.

"I don't know if they should know this part Brutus," Finnick says sadly. "It's not exactly a proper children's story."

"Hey, we're not children!" exclaims Katniss a little offended.

"It's not exactly as if I really want it known either," Brutus admits ignoring the outburst from Katniss.

"Would one of you just say it?" Johanna exclaims. "Because I want to get past this quickly," she adds looking down at her hands in shame.

"I'll do it," Finnick says resignedly. "It _is_ the reason so many of us mentors joined. And we did save one of them from joining our fate…"

"No, not _all_ of you?" Peeta asks, the truth hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Everyone looks at Peeta in shock.

"How do you know?" Gloss asks very curiously.

"I told him Gloss," Finnick admits. "Back when we were seeing each other."

"That's why you always went to District 12? To see Peeta?" asks Cashmere.

"Can we not talk about my fiancé like this please?" Cato snaps.

"But I never told him everything," admits Finnick, ignoring Cato. "At the time, I didn't think it was something he needed to know." He looks down. "It's time they all knew."

"Well shit, I'll do it," Johanna speaks up. She turns to Wheet and looks at him sadly. "You may hate me after this but know I'll always be there for you if you need me." She stands up. "Winning the Hunger Games was not all it was thought to be. Sure, for the outlying districts that are starving it seems like a dream come true. But there is a much higher price to pay – a life or your sanity." She looks at each of the other mentors before continuing. "See, when you win you become property of the Capitol. But only…" she stops, tears in her eyes. Enobaria and Cashmere stand silently next to her. "But only after you have spent the night in Snow's bed," she adds quietly.

"Wait, are you saying…" Marvel tries to ask.

"Yes, after that you are sold to the highest bidders in the Capitol," Gloss answers.

"Finnick is that why you were always seen on TV with different women?" asks Madge.

"Yes," he replies. He is shocked when she gets up and sits next to him, holding his hand in hers.

"Peeta knew about this?" Katniss asks looking at Peeta. "You knew and yet you still volunteered? What if we were never rescued and we all died? You were willing to do _that_?" her voice rising until she's yelling. ""You were never going to let any of us know were you? What if one of us had survived? Me or Delly or Madge? Would you have told us before you died?" she screams.

Peeta flinches with each question she yells at him. Marvel tries to calm her down.

"Catnip, it wasn't his place to tell us," Gale says trying to calm her down. "Don't be mad at him."

"I didn't know about Snow," Peeta admits so quietly that it almost wasn't heard. "I didn't know about that part. But I had faith in the rebellion, that we'd be rescued. That's why I volunteered," he adds before jumping up and leaving the group.

"Peeta! Wait! I'm sorry!" Katniss yells as he leaves. She breaks down and cries in Marvel's arms.

Cato jumps up to follow Peeta but Clove and Gale stop him.

"Give him space for a minute. He'll be back," Gale says holding Cato's wrist. "He _will _be back."

"Gale, let me go!" Cato says barely keeping his temper in check. "He needs me! He needs to know that someone thinks he did the right thing! He also needs to know that…"

"Cato, stop!" Clove snaps. "There is one more thing. It happened after you left."

Cato looks at Clove, giving up trying to follow Peeta. "What are you talking about Clover?" he asks. "What happened to Peeta when I left?" He turns to Finnick. "Did you do something to him?"

"I haven't been near Peeta until today Cato. Other than training, I never saw him," Finnick tells him.

"It's the truth," Marvel says looking at Cato. "But it's big Cato, what Clove has to tell you."

"Thanks _Marv_," Clove says snidely. "Some friend you are."

"I'll do it," Peeta says from the doorway.

"Peeta," Cato says stepping towards him only to be stopped when Peeta puts his hand up.

"Peeta, I don't think this is the time," warns Enobaria.

"There is never going to be a right time," Peeta says smiling at her sadly.

"Peeta, please, whatever it is just say it. You're killing me here," Cato says sadly still wanting to hold him.

"Leonitus is…" Peeta begins. He takes a deep breath. "Leonitus has joined District 13."

"Peeta, look at me. What do you mean he joined District 13?" Cato asks confused.

"He's being trained to fight against Snow. He took the oath," Peeta explains still not looking at Cato.

"Okay, I get it," Cato says laughing. "This is funny."

"Peeta, you better tell him the rest," Finnick says ignoring the nasty look from Cato.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Enobaria insists.

"As much as I hate to admit this, I have to agree with Finnick," Clove says as she ignores the hurt look Gale gives her as she turns to Peeta. "It will be better coming from you but I can tell him the rest if you want me to," she adds giving him a small, sad smile.

Peeta returns the sad smile. "No, but thank you though. It's better if it comes from me," Peeta tells her.

Cato looks between Clove and Peeta, seeing them share a look. "Okay, this is pissing me the fuck off! Just tell me damn it!" he yells.

Brutus walks over to Cato and puts a calming hand on his shoulder as Enobaria walks over to Peeta and takes his hand. Cato gives them a confused look.

"It's okay, I'll be right here," she tells Peeta, squeezing his hand gently.

The rest of the group watches either in confusion or severe sadness.

Peeta finally looks at Cato who looks lost, confused, and hurt. "I was in the dining hall the other night talking to my dad. I was letting him know that I was about to be coming here to District 5. It was right after dinner so there were still people scattered throughout the room. I didn't see him there – Leonitus that is. Anyway, after talking to my dad, I left and headed to the elevator to go to our room." Peeta looks around at his friends before looking back at Cato. "It's my own fault really. I had sent Clove off to visit her family instead of keeping her with me like we had discussed. She hadn't been able to spend time with them as of all the extra training we were doing. And I knew Finnick was eating in his room with his son and Haymitch so I wasn't worried about running into him. I should've been more aware of my surroundings and of who walked in the elevator with me." Peeta pauses, looking at Clove and seeing his guilt reflected in her eyes. He looks at Finnick, who was looking down sadly. He turns his eyes to Enobaria at his side who nods at him, encouraging him to continue. He finally looks at Cato and sees the blank look on his face again.

"Please, keep going Peeta," Cato says flatly. His voice devoid of any emotion.

Peeta nods once. "The doors open and I get in. I push the button to our floor. I began to play with my ring," Peeta looks down at his finger where the ring used to be.

"Peeta, where's your ring?" Cato asks following Peeta's eyes. His voice now tinted with anger.

Peeta pulls the chain from under his shirt, the ring hanging on it.

"Why isn't that on your finger Peeta?" a now even angrier Cato asks as he takes a step towards the younger boy. Peeta flinches; Brutus tightens his grip on Cato's shoulder, and Enobaria steps in front of Cato, effectively blocking the two boys from contact. She still has Peeta's hand in hers.

"Please let him finish Cato," she says quietly. She steps back to Peeta's side. "Go ahead Peeta," she says gently.

Peeta nods but has a far off look in his eyes. "Leonitus got in the elevator with me. I never noticed because I was thinking of you Cato. I didn't notice he leaned in front of me and hitting the stop button until the elevator stopped and the doors didn't open. That's when he grabbed my arm."

"Show him Peeta," Brutus whispers.

Peeta lets go of Enobaria's hand and takes his jacket off. On his left arm were fading bruises in the shape of fingers. Several people gasped but Peeta didn't know who. He was too busy looking at Cato.

"That's when he began to try to wrench the ring off my finger. He was yelling at me. He told me that there was never going to be a wedding between us Cato. I fought him but he managed to get the ring off and threw it on the ground, breaking my finger in the process," Peeta tells Cato who pales at the last statement. "That's when he took something out of his pocket. It was a ring and he shoved it on my broken finger." Tears began to fall down Peeta's cheeks. "The doors open then. Enobaria, Clove, and your dad were there Cato. Leonitus looked at your dad and said he wanted to invoke the 'Two Suitor Rule'. He then pointed at the two rings. I didn't know what that meant. Enobaria pulled Leonitus out of the elevator as Clove grabbed your ring and handed it to me…"

"Where's the other ring?" Cato interrupts after finally noticing the slight bruising on Peeta's finger.

Peeta reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ring that he received from Leonitus.

"I took Peeta and your dad to the medical wing to get his finger fixed. It had swollen and the ring wouldn't come off," Clove says quietly looking at Cato.

"I took Leonitus back to the dining hall after learning that was where Peeta had come from. I was taking him back to his guards that he had somehow managed to knock out. He wouldn't tell me how he did it," Enobaria adds to the conversation.

"That's a very interesting story. What's the 'Two Suitor Rule' mean?" Gale asks looking from Peeta to Clove to Cato to Enobaria.

"It means that Peeta and I can't marry until Leonitus is dead! And I'm going to kill him the minute I see him!" Cato roars before storming out.

"Really?" asks Delly and Gale simultaneously. Both a little nervous.

"No guys, it's way more complicated," Clove tells them. "He is right about the fact that he and Peeta can't marry. Because Leonitus invoked the rule in front of Enobaria and I, Peeta has to give Leonitus a chance to win him over."

"And what does that mean?" asks Madge.

"Well, Peeta has to date Leonitus," Clove replies looking sadly at Peeta. "Also, Peeta and Cato can no longer share their room as it would be deemed to give Cato an unfair advantage."

"I traded rooms with Peeta, Gale," Wheet says. "Peeta will be your roommate and I will be Cato's."

"So, when is the first date with the jerk?" Gale asks getting upset himself. Clove and Peeta share a look and Gale gets angrier. "What!?"

"It was last night Gale. And things are about to get a lot worse," Clove says looking from Gale to Peeta who is now crying on Enobaria's shoulder.

"How in the hell can it get any worse?" Gale asks, voice rising in anger.

"There's a mandatory meeting in the Justice Building in 5 minutes soldiers," Boggs says as he walks in. "Let's move it!"

"You're about to find out," Clove tells Gale cryptically.

When the group enters the meeting room of the Justice Building, they see Cato already there. His eyes are red and sad. Peeta wants to run over to him and wrap his arms around him but knows he can't. Enobaria told him on the way over to stay with her and Brutus. It was a safety measure in case Pollux and Castor were filming. Once they were all seated, Jackson turns on the TV.

On the screen, Maxamilian and Leonitus are revealed. Maxamilian begins to speak. "Good afternoon Panem. My name is Maxamilian Canelos and I am from District 2. Recently you saw my son Cato announce his engagement to Peeta Mellark. I couldn't be more proud. But much has happened since then. You may recognize the young man standing next to me, Leonitus Dante. He has recently sworn his alliance to the rebellion by taking the oath to join. But there is another reason I am here to talk to you. Young Leonitus here has invoked the 'Two Suitor Rule' for young Mr. Mellark. In simple terms, there will be no wedding for my son and Peeta so long as Leonitus wishes to date Mr. Mellark. Last night was their first date. Here is the footage of the date."

Instead of watching the television, Peeta relives the day and date…

_This is NOT good! He really didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with that idiot Leonitus. He had no one to blame but himself though. He did send Clove away and left himself wide open and vulnerable. Cato was going to hate him now and he, Peeta, will end up with that moron Leonitus. No, due to that stupid invoked rule and since he now had two suitors, Peeta was going to end up married to one of them. If Cato leaves him, then Peeta HAS to marry Leonitus. Yep, he really screwed the pooch on this one. He wished he never learned all the damn details of the stupid 'Two Suitor Rule'. Gah, it was giving him a headache!_

_There's a knock on the door. Peeta opens the door to see Leonitus standing there with flowers. He sees that Leonitus has visited one of the stylists as his normally long, shaggy light brown hair has been trimmed and now Peeta can see the actual color of Leonitus's eyes which was a dark shade of blue, so dark. 'Oh great', Peeta thinks to himself, 'he's bringing gifts as if that will get me to change my mind about Cato.' There's movement behind Leonitus and Peeta's eyes dart to see Pollux there. He sees the sad look Pollux gives him before turning his attention back to Leonitus._

"_Hi Peeta, these are for you," Leonitus says with a shy smile on his face._

"_Thank you," Peeta says taking the flowers. "Shall we go?"_

"_I hope you like what I have planned for us tonight Peeta," Leonitus says as Peeta closes the door behind him._

_Peeta smiles politely at the other boy. He'd rather be tortured by Snow than to be where he is right now. They get into the elevator and Peeta shivers when he remembers the last time they two of them were in the elevator together. Dr. Aurelius said his finger would be better before he saw Cato tomorrow. It's going to be hard enough having to explain this to Cato. The very idea breaks Peeta's heart._

"_Hey Peeta," Leonitus says gently. "Please just give me a chance. I'm really not a bad guy. I just want to get to know you better, truly. I know what happened the last time we were together was bad. I just want to make it up to you." To Peeta, it sounded sincere until he remembered his finger again._

"_Tell that to the finger you broke," Peeta says rudely._

_Leonitus looks down at Peeta's hand. "I am very sorry about breaking your finger. There is no excuse for my behavior that day," he admits sincerely._

_They exit the elevator and Peeta realizes that their date will be outside. They're fitted with the tracker bracelets before heading out. 'Great, now he can do what he wants with no witnesses' he thinks._

"_Oh good, the other couple is here Brutus," Enobaria says as she looks in the doorway._

_Peeta can't help but to be secretly happy to see the two former mentors. He can also see that Leonitus is a little disappointed to see them. _

"_Come on boys, daylight's a wastin' and our food will spoil," Brutus says taking Enobaria's arm and leading the boys into the forest._

"_Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what are you two doing here?" asks Leonitus._

"_You invoke the 'Two Suitor Rule' and don't know why we're here?" asks Enobaria over her shoulder. "I guess you missed the section on chaperones."_

"_No, I read it. I just figured that the camera man here would be the chaperone," Leonitus admits._

"_An Avox camera man as a chaperone? Boy, you are a funny one. Pollux is Peeta's camera man for his propos. His only job is to follow and film the things that Peeta does," Enobaria tells him._

_After walking for about another 10 minutes, the group stops._

"_This looks good," Brutus says. "Peeta, would you hold the basket while Leonitus and I lay out the blanket? Eno, darling, you just stand there and just stay beautiful," he adds while handing Peeta the picnic basket. He gives Peeta a wink making Peeta even more grateful that they were there. They all sit and Brutus begins to hand out the food. Peeta recognizes the sandwiches – his father makes them daily._

"_So Peeta," begins Leonitus. "I understand your father works in the kitchens, what does he do there?" he asks._

"_What? My dad working in the kitchen beneath you or something?" Peeta snaps back._

"_No, no, no. I just meant that I know that the Sae lady makes soups and stews. I only wondered what your dad did," Leonitus explains all flustered._

"_Oh, sorry," Peeta says. He's still a little worried. He still doesn't trust the other boy._

"_It's all good. I just want to get to know you," Leonitus says._

"_Um, my dad is the baker. The bread of these sandwiches – he made it," Peeta tells him, pride rather pronounced in his tone._

"_Really?" asks Leonitus intrigued. He takes a bite of the sandwich, his eyes widen at Peeta as he chews. "This is really good! We don't have bread like this in my district."_

"_I know. Cato told me that once," Peeta admits looking down in his lap as he tries to get his mind off the large, burly blonde._

"_Peeta, you're not really giving me a chance, are you?" Leonitus asks sadly. "I promise not to hurt you anymore."_

"_Of course I'm not giving you a chance!" exclaims Peeta. "I love Cato. I'm in love with Cato! You doing _THIS _is hurting me."_

"_I'm not giving up on you yet Peeta," Leonitus says quietly as he stands up. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I first saw you in the tribute parade," he adds before he silently makes his way back to the underground district._

_Peeta looks down at his untouched sandwich. "I'm sorry about all this you guys. You shouldn't be dragged into my problems," Peeta says unable to look them in the eye as he's ashamed of his actions._

"_If it makes a difference…"_

"We're on your side," Brutus says with his TV self.

Peeta smiles up weakly at Brutus.

"You'll get through this Peeta. You and Cato belong together," Brutus says as he looks over to Cato who looks utterly heartbroken. "You know, since you had your date with Leonitus – despite him walking away – Cato has the chance to counter that date." Brutus looks at Peeta and shrugs. "It couldn't hurt just to have the chance to be together, even if only for a little while."

"I'm not the one that needs to be convinced," Peeta says looking over at Cato who still hasn't looked at him.

Boggs dismisses the group with a reminder that they will be meeting before the mission the next day.

Peeta stands and walks over towards Clove and Gale. He stops when he hears them arguing.

"You were supposed to stay with him Clove! You promised Cato and me!" Gale snaps at her.

"You think I don't know that! It kills me that this happened. And if you don't think I feel guilty enough, you should've been there with Peeta! Today at lunch was the first time in several days that he's eaten!" Clove argues back. "How were we supposed to know that Leonitus was going to pull that stunt? He had armed guards he managed to get away from."

"You heard that Leonitus idiot, Clove! He's not going to give up on Peeta! The only way to get rid of that guy is to kill him! If Cato doesn't do it, than by gosh, I WILL!" Gale yells.

"Like that will help anyone! You can't just kill everyone who takes an interest in Peeta! You're not the one that wants to spend the rest of your life with him!" Clove yells back. "You can't just go killing people who like him!"

"Watch me!" Gale yells back at her before going over to Cato. He doesn't even see Peeta or his shocked face.

Peeta walks over to Clove. "Clove? You okay hon'?" he asks.

She turns to look at Peeta, barely holding back the tears. "I really screwed up Peeta," she manages to say before the tears begin to flow down her cheeks.

Peeta pulls her into his arms. "Shh, this is not your fault Clove. I made you go see your family, remember? This is all on me," Peeta says holding her close.

They stand there holding each other while she cries. When she's done, she pulls back and looks at Peeta who gives her a sweet smile. They look around and realize they're all alone.

"Come on Clove, let's go find out tents," Peeta suggests.

They walk out of the building holding hands. They find Boggs who happily shows them to their tents.

Outside the tent for Clove, she stops and looks up at Peeta. "Will you stay with me Peeta? I just don't think I can handle being alone right now," she says to him.

"Certainly Clove, come on. We're in this together," Peeta replies as they walk into the tent. They find it empty. Clove finds her bed and takes the bag off the cot. The two lie down together and fall asleep, their silent tears staining their faces.

_**An hour later**_

"If I didn't know exactly how much he loved Cato, I'd seriously wonder if his taste in partners changed," Wheet whispers as he looks at Peeta and Clove, their limbs wrapped together, her hand fisted in his shirt.

"For the record, Peeta Bread there is very comfortable to sleep with. Very cuddly," Johanna whispers back. "Oh don't give me that look. I've woken up in that position with your brother 2 or 3 times. It was merely for comfort measures. Come on; let's let the others know we found them."

"Do you think it's wise to tell Cato and Gale how we found them? Their cuddling position I mean?" Wheet asks when they're back outside the tent.

"I'll tell them if you're too scared. They're only sleeping, not going at it like rabbits," Johanna says sharply.

Wheet holds his hands up in mock surrender. "I was just asking dear," he says smiling softly at her.

They see the others gathering a few feet away from them and walk over to join them.

"Did you find them? Are they okay?" Gale asks concerned.

"Um, yeah, we found them and they're fine," Wheet answers uncertainly while rubbing his hand against the back of his neck.

"What does that mean?" Cato asks freaking out.

"It means what he said. They're together and they're fine," Johanna says getting mad.

"So, can you tell us where they are?" Gale asks getting mad himself.

"You want to know? Fine," Johanna says throwing her arms in the air. "They're asleep together in her tent. And I don't know exactly what the hell you two did to the two of them but the last female Peeta held the way he's holding Clove was me. And I had just seen the death of my best friend in front of me by peacekeepers."

"Johanna!" Wheet exclaims as Gale and Cato's faces pale.

"What?" she asks. "Look I'm not going to censor myself nor will I tiptoe around these two knuckleheads! They're the ones who hurt the ones they're supposed to love," Johanna tells Wheet exasperated. "Did you get a good look at Peeta and Clove's faces Wheet? Because I did! And that was pain etched onto their features. Besides, it wasn't like they were naked or anything. They did still have their clothes on." She turns to Gale and Cato. "If you don't believe me about that, let's go! I'll prove it. You should get a good look at their faces anyway."

She grabs each of them by their arm and drags them to the tent. She doesn't see the others following the trio.

"Now get your asses in there and take a good long look! They fucking cried themselves to sleep! Oh, and don't you dare wake either of them up!" Johanna demands in a quiet tone after peeking to make sure they were still asleep.

Gale and Cato quietly enter the tent. They see the pair on a cot and go over to look. They see the tear stains Johanna told them about. They also notice the protective way Peeta seems to be holding Clove as well as the way she is clinging to him. They walk out the tent feeling like crap. Johanna grabs them yet again and pulls them away from the tent.

"I know Peeta pretty well and have gotten to know Clove as well. I am really ashamed at the way you two are treating BOTH of them. Sure they screwed up and things got shitty! But if you two don't get over yourselves, you are going to lose 2 really good people. And Cato, I really don't want to see Peeta end up with that Leonitus character. But go ahead and keep up your caveman like ways and you will get what you deserve. I am so outta here!" Johanna says before walking away. Wheet shrugs his shoulders at Gale and Cato before running after his girlfriend.

"Both of you hate me for what I did to Peeta," Finnick says looking at the two yo0unger boys. "But you are really no better. I was there in 13 when Leonitus pulled his little stunt. I was avoiding Peeta for you Cato but once this crap went down, I offered them both a chance to talk to me – with others around. I saw the guilt on their faces at meal times. I watched as neither ate one bite. They just pushed their food around and hiding it in napkins so it looked like they were eating. Truth be told, while I know I could never have Peeta, I hope neither of them forgives either of you. Right now I think they deserve better than the two of you!" Finnick walks away holding hands with Madge who just glares at the pair.

"Just say it Catnip," Gale says as he looks at her and Marvel.

"You know what Gale; I'm NOT going to say anything, not another word. I think Johanna and Finnick covered all the bases pretty well," Katniss says sadly before her and Marvel turn and leave. Delly, Rie, and Tavin follow the pair leaving Gale and Cato standing there alone.

"Could this day get any worse?" Gale asks.

Jackson walks up just then, Leonitus in tow.

"You just had to ask that didn't you Gale?" Cato says sadly.

_**Okay, so I'm probably going to make a lot of people really angry after this chapter. But after nearly two weeks of holding on to the hand written version of this chapter, hoping for a different road or path to show itself, this is what we have. Honestly, I like it. I don't like how it's hurting Peeta and Cato or Clove and Gale but I still like it. Please feel free to chew me a new one if you must.**_

_**Also, haven't said this in a while, but I own nothing. **_


	21. Chapter 21

_**The Games We Played**_

_**First off, I want to apologize for not updating in a couple months and I humbly beg for your forgiveness. My life has gotten pretty hectic and I feel horrible for my 'abandonment' of this story. Between my sister telling me I'm a part of her wedding the day before we went dress shopping and my recent anniversary/vacation to Disneyland, CA my life has been going non-stop. Then to make things even more complicated, I forgot my password for this site and dealing with the idea of where the story was going to go next. And I do deserve 50 lashes with a wet noodle!**_

_**Anywho, this is a summary of the first 20 chapters (to refresh memories for the last 4+ months – definitely deserve punishment [head down, begging forgiveness]).**_

Chapter 21 – A Summary

This story begins with Peeta sitting on the train on his way to the 75th annual Hunger Games, thinking about his life to that point.

At age 11, he was brutally beaten by his mother and kicked out for giving burnt bread to a starving Katniss. Gale (a year older than Peeta) happens to come upon Peeta's broken body and, encouraged by his best friend/Peeta's brother, takes the younger boy to the Everdeen household. As Katniss' mother cares for Peeta, Gale finds a place for Peeta to live – with him and his large family. Gale tells Peeta that he will have to learn to hunt to help bring food top the table. With Gale and Katniss' help, Peeta becomes as good a hunter as his two best friends.

At age 13, Haymitch finds the trio in the forest, tells them of the upcoming rebellion, and they begin training. A year later, Rie works to repair his friendship with Peeta as Delly and Madge befriend Katniss. The trio becomes the 'beloved six' as they all train for the rebellion.

By the time Peeta reaches 17, the games reach their 75th year. The reading of the card states that 3 males and 3 females from each district will be reaped. The six friends promise that they will care for the families of those reaped. On the day of reaping, Gale, Rie, Madge, and Delly find that their names are called. Katniss ends up volunteering for her sister. It's total devastation as Rory, Gale's brother, is called and Peeta volunteers for him. Boggs sneaks into Peeta's room and gives him his very first rebellion orders – find other rebels and make an alliance – and wait for more orders in the arena.

Gale interrupts Peeta's reminiscing and the pair joins the others to watch the reapings as the train speeds towards the Capitol. As they watch, 6 tributes stand out to Peeta – Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, Clove, Thresh, and Rue. Peeta also sees his ex, victor Finnick O'dair, during the reapings.

The 6 friends arrive in the Capitol and meet their stylists – Cinna and Portia. They are prepped for the parade and while waiting for it to start, Peeta chats with Johanna Mason & Finnick. District 12 amazes everyone during the parade and manages to capture the attention of some they were hoping to join forces with. That night after their celebratory dinner, Finnick admits his feelings to Peeta, confusing the younger man.

During the eight days of training, the District 12 six meet, get to know, and arrange an alliance with Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, Clove, Thresh, and Rue. In that time, Peeta and Cato find themselves attracted to one another. The only hitch in the budding romance is Finnick, who is trying to fight for Peeta's love, and a fight between Cato and Peeta the night before the first day in the arena. Cato was pushing Peeta to talk about his horrific past that was touched upon during the interviews and Peeta walks away not knowing if he jeopardized the alliance or not. Gale makes sure the alliance is still on after meeting with a sad yet angry Peeta.

The next morning, as the tributes are prepped to enter the arena, their mentors learn about the arena. It is separated into 12 'zones' representing different types of climates and/or biomes with the cornucopia (and its own dangers – it's on an island whose surrounding waters have man-eating fish) located in the center. With so many tributes, their tubes are located far from the cornucopia and near the edge of the arena. When the games actually begin, the tributes learn that there are hidden backpacks located in the jungle that will aid in their reaching the cornucopia. The beloved six manage to pair with an alliance member and manage to secure the backpacks as well.

Clove and Peeta, who manage to pair up, reach the beach near the cornucopia when they see Gale and Cato, who also manage to team up, come out of the jungle down the beach from them. As the four run to join up together, a male tribute from District 4 attempts to attack Cato and Gale from behind but steps on a hidden land mine killing himself and sending Gale and Cato flying through the air. Gale is fine but Cato needs CPR and receives it from Camille aka Foxface. When Cato sees Peeta, they make-up and admit that they have feelings for one another. At the same time, the other eight members of the alliance come from the cornucopia (where they searched for weapons and other items). That night after Foxface becomes part of the alliance and sharing his fears with his brother Rie, Peeta shares his past with his alliance members including the news that he had just learned – Peeta had a twin!

Between killing other tributes, exploring the arena, and getting clues and gifts from their sponsors couples started forming – Cato/Peeta, Gale/Clove, and Marvel/Katniss. One male tribute, Leonitus Dante, tries to cause problems for the alliance but mainly for Cato and Peeta. Finnick has a hard time watching/coping with the budding romance of Cato and Peeta even though Haymitch tries to help.

Yet tragedy hits the alliance as well. They lose Glimmer, Thresh, and Rue. Glimmer is killed by a trident while saving Peeta's the day before the rescue. Thresh and Rue die by mutts on their way to the rendezvous point. Thresh dies quickly whereas Rue died during the rescue. The mentors lose some members as well during their own escape – Mags, Chaff, and Seeder to name a few.

Back in District 12, Peeta's father Fennel and oldest brother Wheet realize during the games just how badly Peeta was treated and just how twisted Peeta's mother truly is. The day the tributes are rescued, Wheet joins Fennel as he heads to watch the games with the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's. After the loss of the signal from the games (due to the rescue), Thom shows up and tells them to run as the district is about to be attacked. Wheet gets hurt trying to get his mother and fiancé to join the people leaving. Thom manages to get Wheet to the forest outside of District 12. Those that manage to make it out into the forest are taken to District 13.

The remaining 10 alliance members wake up on a hovercraft only to hear the devastating news about Rue's death and the bombing of District 12. Finnick decides to give Peeta a chance at happiness after seeing Peeta with an unconscious Cato. They argue about what broke them up – Finnick sleeping with Annie, telling her he loves her more than anything, and her pregnancy – before Finnick tells Peeta that he's giving up on him. Cato overhears and is skeptical yet happy as is Peeta. Delly and Madge learn their parents are missing. Peeta and Rie learn that their father and older brother are in District 13. Cato, Clove, Marvel, Foxface, Katniss, and Gale all learn their families are safely in District 13. Before landing in 13, Haymitch tells his tributes that they need to talk and that Fennel needs to be present as well.

The six district 12 tributes plus Cato and Fennel follow Haymitch to a meeting room where he reveals some major secrets from the past. Haymitch and Seeder did some baby switching 17 years ago. Delly is Peeta's twin sister and Madge is actually Haymitch's daughter as well as Fennel's niece and cousin to Wheet, Rie, Peeta, and Delly. Needless to say, everyone is not only shocked but angry. After learning this news, Peeta and the others go to see Wheet who gives Peeta his approval of Cato.

Other events that happen in District 13 include Annie Cresta gives birth to Finnick's son, the meeting of the remaining tributes families, Fennel and Hazel Hawthorne becoming a couple, Cato and Peeta finally have sex (multiple times including in the shower and Peeta topping Cato), Lily spending time with Boggs, Annie disappears, Cato and Peeta catch a glimpse of what their life could be like when they watch little Finn while the mentors are out searching for Annie, District 13 is bombed by the Capitol causing all its inhabitants to go further underground, Johanna and Brutus are injured while out searching for Annie, after a couple days underground – the young rebels killing time filming promos – they go back up and assess the damage, Wheet and Tavin (Marvel's brother) take the oath to join the rebellion, the young rebels and the mentors are separated into two squads – one being the sharp shooter squad – and given special weapons.

Peeta and Finnick end up on the same squad and receive a mission to go to District 10 and bring back Leonitus, who works for President Snow. Before he leaves, Peeta admits his fear of not having Cato beside him to help with the nightmares. Cato gives him his academy ring to help. Clove freaks about the ring but Cato plays it off. Peeta leaves his arena token – a pocket watch – for Cato. As Peeta leaves, Cato admits his love to Peeta. In District 10, Peeta freaks about the confession and Clove lets it slip that Cato giving Peeta the ring is the equivalent to being engaged. That night, Finnick climbs into Peeta's bed as he's having a nightmare. Peeta flips out. He avoids Finnick until mission time. They get Leonitus but Peeta is shot!

After surviving the shooting, he and Cato decide to officially become engaged – with the help of Clove and Gale – to finally get Finnick to understand that there will be no Peeta/Finnick ever again. Days after it's official, Cato is sent to District 5. Three weeks later, Peeta and his squad arrive in District 5. Only it's not the reunion either had hoped for! Leonitus joins District 13's rebellion and manages to escape his guards to invoke The 2 Suitor Rule – Peeta now has to date Leonitus and Cato making his engagement to Cato null and void. When Cato and Gale hear about this, Clove and Peeta suffer together, crying themselves to sleep in each other's arms. Cato and Gale get their asses handed to them from the rest of their friends.

_**So there it is, a brief recap of the last 20 chapters. Good news though. Next 5 chapters are written and the next chapter has probably posted by the end of your reading this (fingers crossed on my end).**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**The Games We Played**_

Chapter 21: _Reunions & Disappointment_

Brutus finds Cato and Gale sitting outside the tent where Peeta and Clove are sleeping.

"I hear we got a new team member," he says as he sits by the two guys. "And I know about this situation as well. I have an idea that will probably help you guys."

"Right now I don't see how anything can help," Cato says hopelessly.

"You're a fighter Cato! Fight for Peeta! Fight for your love!" Brutus says as he stands up. "Come with me – both of you. Enobaria will be here soon. She will keep an eye on Peeta and Clove, finding us later. Let's try and fix this mess boys."

As they follow Brutus, they pass Enobaria.

"I certainly hope you two look better when I find you later," she says as she walks past the three of them on her way to the tent that the guys just left.

Cato and Gale turn and look at her in confusion but say nothing.

Enobaria reaches the tent and peeks in. She sees that the two hurt ones are still sleeping. A small smile crosses her face as she takes in their position. Brutus had told her to wake them in half an hour and take them to get ready. He also reminded her to let no one else in the tent.

About 25 minutes later, she hears movement within the tent. She walks in and sees Peeta and Clove sitting up on the cot.

"Great, you're awake," she says when they look up at her. "Let's go you two. You need to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Clove asks tiredly with a touch of skepticism.

"It's a surprise," Enobaria replies cryptically. "Oh, and if you haven't heard, Coin sent Leonitus here to District 5. And before either of you say anything; Jackson has him staying in one of the buildings on the other side of camp for now. But we do need to get going, so move it!" she adds.

They follow Enobaria to another tent. Once inside Clove and Peeta were slightly confused to see Cinna and Portia.

"Don't ask questions, just get ready," Enobaria says. "I will be waiting outside. Just do as you're told."

_30 Minutes Later_

"I let you doll me up but there is no way in hell I am wearing heels!" Enobaria hears Clove snarl. Then, "Alright, I guess I can wear the flats." Clove says calmly.

Moments later Peeta and Clove walk out. He's wearing a blue button down shirt and khaki pants and his hair has been trimmed, no longer in his eyes. She is wearing a gray sweater, a knee length black pencil skirt, black tights, and gray flats. Her hair is down and in soft curls.

"You guys look great! Let's go," Enobaria says smiling. She leads them over to the Mayor's house and knocks on the door. Tigris opens the door, letting them in.

"They're waiting in the living room," Tigris purrs as Brutus walks into the entry hall.

"This way Peeta and Clove," Brutus says winking at the confused pair.

They follow Brutus into the living room where they see Gale and Cato standing by the fireplace. They notice that Gale is wearing a black sweater and gray slacks. Cato is wearing a light blue button down shirt and khaki pants.

Clove grabs Peeta's hand nervously. He can feel her tremble. He squeezes her hand as Cato and Gale turn towards them, his nervousness starting as well.

"Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes," Brutus tells them.

""You four should talk until then," adds Enobaria.

They shut the double doors leaving the 2 couples alone. Peeta and Clove move to a couch as one. Gale and Cato sit in the chairs directly across from the couch. The room is silent.

Finally Gale speaks first. "You look nice Clove," he tells her.

"Thank you Gale," she replies quietly.

"Did you get a haircut Peeta?" asks Cato.

"Yes, Portia said I was looking a little shaggy," Peeta answers softly.

The room falls silent again.

"This is ridiculous," Gale says suddenly causing Peeta and Clove to jump. Gale looks directly at Clove, "I am so truly sorry for earlier today Clove. And I don't really blame you, either of you. If it hadn't happened the way it did, it could've happened some other way. That idiot has been after Peeta since that day at the cornucopia when he saw Peeta and Cato kissing."

"Peeta," Cato says softly yet sincerely. "I'm sorry as well. And I don't blame either of you either. I actually blame Coin. She let Leonitus out of that dungeon he truly belongs in." He looks at Peeta. "Please forgive me," he begs.

Peeta looks over at Clove and sees that she is looking longingly at Gale. He squeezes her hand to get her attention. When she looks at him, he darts his eyes to Gale and back to her before giving her a barely noticeable nod. She squeezes his hand and gives him a smile before standing and taking a step towards Gale. Gale stands, takes a step towards Clove before pulling her into his arms.

Peeta looks at Cato, a soft smile on his face, before patting the empty space on the couch next to him. Cato returns the smile as he gets up and sits where Peeta indicated. Peeta then leans over to lay his head on Cato's shoulder.

"Cato, I'm really scared," Peeta admits quietly.

"Why love?" Cato inquires just as quietly.

"My nightmares feel like they're coming true. You know, with **him**,"Peeta admits before looking Cato in the eye. "I don't want to lose you."

Cato pulls Peeta onto his lap, holding him close. "That is **never** going to happen. I'm fighting for you, for me, for us!" he exclaims gently, pressing his forehead to Peeta's.

"Cato, we need to tell them," Gale says moments later, looking down at the couple.

"Not right this minute," Cato says without moving his head. "It can wait until after dinner."

"Do we not get a say?" Peeta asks curiously as he leans away from Cato.

"Because I don't think secrets among the four of us works well," Clove adds.

Cato sighs. "Please Peeta; I haven't got to see you in three weeks." He pulls Peeta as close to him as he can. "I just want some time to forget about everything and be with the one I love," he begs.

"And then you'll tell me?" Peeta asks, willing to concede.

"Yes," Cato replies. "And because you're willing to wait, I will tell you a small piece. Something happened while you and Clove were asleep together earlier." He sees Peeta's eyes widen. "Johanna dragged us to see you and proceeded to chew our asses afterwards."

"Finnick too," Gale adds contrite. "Then everyone took off and left us there to deal with our guilt."

"_Finnick_ chewed you out?" Clove asks Gale before turning to Cato, not waiting for a response. "You should know Cato that I talked with Finnick after the _incident_ with Peeta and Leonitusback in District 13. He loves Peeta, said he always will, but he also told me that he'd rather see Peeta with you than with Leonitus. He also told me that he'd do whatever it took to see you two get your happy ending." She looks down at her hands, "I believe him too. He even tried to get Peeta out of that date. He went to your dad and Mr. Mellark to figure something out. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do. They wouldn't even let him and I be the other 'couple' because they didn't us starting a fight with Leonitus." She looks back at Cato. "You should know that everyone in District 13 want you two to be together. And Foxy is studying the District 2 ring laws looking for a loophole with your dad."

"My dad enforces that law Clove," Cato says dejectedly. "I doubt they'll find anything."

"You're going to give up then? Because Foxy is the smartest person I know and if she thinks there might be a loophole, I'm going to have faith that she will find it!" Clove states upset with Cato. "Don't give Leonitus what he wants Cato – which is for you to give up!"

"Clove, I don't think Cato is saying that he's giving up on Peeta," Gale says gently. "And didn't you hear him tell Peeta he was going to fight for him? Have faith in that as well. Cato is your best friend. Believe in him."

"How can I do that?" Clove asks heatedly. "He says he's fighting but when there is a glimmer of hope staring him in the face, he doesn't seem to want to grasp it! Is that truly fighting? Not really Gale."

"Hey! I'm right here! Stop talking like I'm not here!" Cato says just as heatedly. "And for the record, I really do hope they find a fucking loophole! I'm just stating facts! I just –."

Peeta jumps off Cato's lap and runs to the door, throws it open, and runs into Brutus who can see the anguish in Peeta's tear-filled eyes. He looks at Enobaria before taking Peeta away.

"I cannot believe the three of you!" she says sadly walking into the room. "The guilt that Peeta is feeling has just been added to by you three." She looks at Clove, "Clove, I believe your heart is in may be in the right place as far as Peeta is concerned. But you know as well as Brutus and I just how fragile Peeta is right now. Picking a fight with Cato wasn't a smart move." She looks at Cato, "Cato, while you may be justified in your anger, Peeta has enough to deal with without you yelling at Clove. Not your best move Loverboy." She looks at Gale and shakes her head slightly. "Gale, your mediation techniques need work. Especially with these two boneheads." She sighs looking down, "This in the middle of a war is certainly trying my patience," she says quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself. She looks back at the 3 in front of her, noting their guilty, downcast looks. "Look," she begins to get their attention. "We all make mistakes. Peeta just happens to feel things deeply. His guilt is eating away at him." She turns to Cato, taking his hand, "After that farce of a date, Peeta stayed with Brutus and me all night. He admitted that he wants this marriage with you Cato. Not to stop Finnick, but because he _**loves**_ you! In fact, his biggest fear before the Leonitus fiasco was that _you_ were being forced into something you didn't want. He feels so alone even with friends and family supporting him." She looks at all three of them after letting go of Cato's hand. "Now is NOT the time for fighting and blaming! That young man is in pain. He's not eating or sleeping! The point of this dinner tonight is to show our love and support, to make him feel better. You 3 are going to put your own feelings aside and help Peeta through this. Now, while I go find Brutus and Peeta, you are all going to kiss and make-up. And when I get back, you all better be united together to help him!"

Enobaria turns and exits the room, leaving the three others feeling like fools. Clove knows how Peeta is doing. She's been there with him. How could she forget that?

"I'm sorry Cato," Clove says reaching for Cato's hand. "This whole thing is driving us all a little crazy. Forgive me?" she asks quietly.

"Of course I forgive you Clove, and I'm sorry as well," Cato says before pulling her into a hug. "And I truly do want nothing more than Foxface to find a way for all this to be over."

The three of them sit down with Clove in the middle.

"I keep hearing that Peeta isn't eating, but that's not true," Cato says looking down at Clove. "I saw him eat lunch today."

"Cato, that's the first thing I've seen Peeta eat since this all started with Leonitus and the elevator," Clove tells him. "Sae and his dad, as well as Mrs. Everdeen and Gale's mom, have all tried to make him his favorite foods but he wouldn't eat any of it."

"Finnick said you weren't eating either Clove," Gale says.

"Well, he wasn't being totally honest," Clove admits. "I did eat some at first but only to throw it up later." Clove studies her hands that are folded in her lap. "It's hard to eat, or keep food down, when you know that you basically ignored the requests of your boyfriend and your best friend. I honestly didn't _want_ to leave Peeta alone that night, knew I shouldn't. The only reason I did was because it was his dad! I guess I let myself think that Mr. Mellark would take Peeta back. Or rather I just let myself assume he would is more accurate."

"You didn't know that his dad wasn't going to take Peeta back. No one can fault you that logic Clove," Cato reassures her.

"For me, the worst part was that Peeta wasn't only emotionally hurt, but physically as well," Clove says before taking Cato's hand and looking him in the eyes. "Eno was telling you the truth Cato. Peeta really did want to marry you. He still does despite Leonitus' interference."

"Not after I screwed up earlier. I think I made things even worse between us," Cato says as he takes his hand from Clove and runs his hands through his hair. "I'm just a screw up."

"No, you're not Cato. And you haven't screwed up. I love you. I always will," Peeta says from the doorway.

"Peeta!" Cato gasps standing up.

As Peeta walks into the room, Cato walks towards him. They meet halfway.

"Peeta, I…" Cato begins.

Peeta wraps his arms around Cato's waist, cutting him off. Cato wraps his arms around Peeta. Both revel in the comfort of the other, wishing it could always be just the two of them.

"I love you Cato," Peeta says, his face buried in Cato's warm chest.

"I love you too Peeta," Cato says, his face buried in Peeta's hair.

Cato leans back slightly so he can look at Peeta. Peeta looks up at Cato when he feels him move.

"I _am_ going to fight for you Peeta," Cato tells him looking deep into his eyes. "You are my life. And just so you know, and to set your mind at ease, I want nothing more than to marry you. There will _never_ be anyone else for me." He sees Peeta tear up. "No baby, please don't cry anymore," he says tears welling in his own eyes.

"They're tears of happiness love," Peeta tells him quietly. "And you're crying too," he points out as he reaches up and uses his thumb to wipe a tear that was falling down Cato's cheek.

"Yeah, well, my tears are happy tears as well," Cato says just as quietly before leaning down to kiss Peeta. "I refuse to give you up Peeta. You are mine and I am yours," he adds before their lips touch.

Neither wanted to stop, yet both knew they couldn't take it much farther. They reluctantly broke apart, yet foreheads touching.

"And with that, dinner is ready," Brutus snickers from the doorway. Enobaria also smiling widely.

Dinner was filled with talk and laughter. Enobaria and Brutus joining the two couples as chaperones. Pollux was there to film the meal. When the meal was over, Pollux left the three couples to relax and enjoy some quality time. The 6 went back into the living room where Gale and Peeta heard stories of Clove and Cato's childhoods. In return, Gale and Peeta shared tales of their 'illegal' hunting and how they once had to sleep in a tree in the forest because the electric fence had been turned on.

All too soon they had to call it a night. Peeta and Cato didn't want the night to end as they would be separated and forced to sleep apart – something they had to endure when Cato was here in District 5 and Peeta was in 13. Now that they were together again, they were being forced apart. And it hurt them both a lot though neither would say it out loud. Brutus decides to give the couple 5 minutes of privacy to say goodbye.

Once alone, Cato and Peeta come together, kissing, touching, and holding each other. Neither wanting to speak for fear of wasting their little bit of time together. All too soon Brutus comes in and tells them it's time to go. They stand up, share one last kiss before Brutus leaves with Gale and Cato. Enobaria and Clove walk in to collect Peeta and they leave moments later. Pollux catches the groups leaving separately on film.

Peeta enters his tent and sees who he is sharing it with. It shocks him that he isn't upset or worried to see Finnick in a cot as well as Marvel, Tavin, and Boggs. As Peeta climbs into his cot, Brutus comes in and takes the cot next to him. Peeta gives Brutus a small smile before closing his eyes and going to sleep.

_He hears a baby crying. He gets up and follows the sound. He's mildly surprised that he hasn't tripped over anything on his way to the infant. He opens the door and turns on the light. The pale pink walls don't surprise him as he makes his way over to the white and pink crib. He looks over the side and sees the crying infant under a pale purple blanket. He pulls back the blanket and lifts the baby. The baby stops crying and whimpers._

"_Shh, that's daddy's little girl," he hears himself say. "Let's get you changed before we get you your bottle, alright little one?"_

_He takes the infant over to the changing table and changes his daughter's wet diaper. He redresses her and picks her up, snuggling her to his chest. As he makes his way downstairs, he notices pictures hanging on the wall. One in particular catches his eye. It looks pretty recent. He stops to look at it. There are three children in the photo, one looks to be a 6 years old boy, next to him is a 2 year old boy, and in front of them, leaning on a pillow, is the little girl in his arms. The 6 year old looks familiar with his bronze colored hair and green eyes. The toddler boy is blonde with blue eyes just like the infant girl in his arms. He suddenly realizes that these are his children and it makes him smile. _

_He continues down the stairs and makes his daughter a bottle, all the while holding her safely in his arms. He takes the warm bottle and heads back to his daughter's room to feed her. He sits in the rocking chair and proceeds to feed her. As he gently rocks and watches his daughter drink, he hears a small voice call for his daddy. He starts to get up but a familiar voice stops him._

"_I'll go check on our son, you take care of our little princess," the voice says._

_The voice fills him with such joy and happiness. He can't help but smile. He listens as it talks to the younger boy._

"_Hey buckaroo, what's the matter?"_

"_Daddy, I think there's a monster in the closet," the little voice says. "Can I sleep with you and papa?"_

"_Well, let me check the closet first son. We certainly don't want any monsters in our house," the voice says._

"_No daddy! Don't open it!" the little voice calls out._

"_Shh, Galen Marvel, it's okay. Come here to daddy." _

_He can hear movement in the other room. _

"_See there are no monsters in the closet Galen. But you can come with me and fall asleep in Daddy and papa's room."_

_He hears the pair walking back down the hallway and past the room he's in. He shakes his head as he moves his daughter up to his shoulder to burp her. He hears the little burp and brings her back down and rocks her to sleep. As he hears her little snores, he gets up and lays her back in the crib, covering her with the purple blanket. As he stands there admiring the little angel, he feels a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind._

"_Did Galen finally fall back to sleep?" he asks whispering._

"_He was out as soon as his little head touched his papa's pillow," the voice whispers back._

_He leans back against the taller figure as they both watch their daughter sleep._

"_Sweet dreams Rueby Glimmer," the voice behind him whispers as the pair leaves the room. Once in the hallway the voice says, "I still think we should adopt one more, a little girl. To balance out the kids and give lil' Rueby a playmate."_

"_Can't we just enjoy the kids we have for a little while longer before we add one more?" he asks teasingly. "Rueby has only been with us a couple months. Besides, I don't know if we can handle another infant right now. We've still got potty training with Galen too."_

"_Oh, I think we can handle it. There are plenty of aunts and uncles to help us. Not to mention Grandpa Fennel and Grandma Hazel." says the voice._

"_We are not going to pass our children off so we can go get another baby girl," he says._

"_Come on love, one more little girl. We can't let our little princess be the only girl. She needs a sister to play dolls with, someone to share secrets with, someone to tease Finn and Galen with. Please baby?" the voice begs._

_He turns to the owner of the voice he loves and looks up into a pair of icy blue eyes. "Cato, please tell me you didn't go back to the orphanage again!"_

"_Okay love, I didn't go back to the orphanage," Cato says smiling, eyes twinkling. "In fact, I didn't even have to leave our house."_

"_What are you not telling me Cato?" he asks lowering his voice as he remembers the little boy sleeping in the bed behind him._

_Cato wraps his arms around him, "Well, while you were in your studio, your dad took the boys to the beach and Rueby was sleeping. I got a visitor."_

_He cocks a brow. "Who?"_

"_Portia," Cato replies. "She gave me this," he says as he walks over to his nightstand and grabs a photo. He hands it to him._

_He looks down at the picture and can't breathe. "C-Ca-Cato, what's this? Who is this little girl and why does she look like lil' Finn?"_

"_That is the daughter of Annie and Finnick. She is lil' Finn's twin sister," Cato replies as he helps him sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't know the details but Coin had something to do with it I'm sure. Anyway, Portia is bringing Fiona here tomorrow to meet us."_

"_Cato, if she truly is Finn's twin, we HAVE to bring her into the family," he says excitedly before standing and heading to the door._

"_Hey, where are you going?" Cato asks._

_He turns to look at Cato. "To get our new daughter's room ready. She can have the room across from Finn. I just need to move a few things out of there first."_

_Cato chuckles. "Babe, she's just coming to meet us not move in."_

"_Oh, she's moving in love. Maybe not tomorrow, but she is going to live here with us, her family," he says. "We are her family now. Besides, she's going to want to live her and learn more about her family. And who better to tell her than her father's two best friends."_

"_Okay baby," Cato says. "I'll come and help you," he adds before giving him a toe curling kiss._

_The next morning after breakfast, Portia shows up with Fiona. Cato answers the door while he stays in the living room with Finn, Galen, and Rueby. When Fiona walks into the room next to Cato, Finn spots her and stops what he's doing._

"_Daddy, who is that?" Finn asks pointing at Fiona._

"_My name is Fiona and you are Finn, my twin brother," the young girl says matter-of-fact like. She turns to look at Portia, "I will be staying here if they want me."_

_He looks up at Cato with shock but is able to nod his agreement._

"_Yay! I got a family now!" Fiona shouts as she turns to hug Cato first. She turns to face him. "You loved my real daddy once, didn't you?" she asks._

_He swallows before replying. "Yes I did. It was a long time ago. How did you know that sweetie?" he asks._

_Fiona rushes over to her bag that Portia had brought in when none of them were paying attention. She takes out a disc and hands it to him. "My real daddy made this for Finn but I somehow got it instead. You and daddy should watch it while I play with Finn and Galen. Auntie Portia can take care of the baby."_

_He and Cato watch the disc with the kids in the room. Every once in a while, lil' Finn will stop and listen to Finnick talk. The video starts off sometime after Finnick finds out Annie was pregnant and goes up until Finnick is on his deathbed. That was the hardest part to watch as Finnick left a message for both him and Cato. Cato's played first._

"_Cato, you were always the better choice for 'our' boy. I knew that when I say the two of you that first day in the arena. My head knew it but my heart refused to listen. I am so truly sorry for all the pain I caused you at that time. There's something you should know, something I just found out myself. Our little Finn has a twin sister. Coin had taken her. Please find her. She's your daughter now. Take care of her. Let her know that she is loved. Please tell her about Annie and me if she asks. And don't leave anything out, not even the 'bad' stuff. I mean it Cato. She needs to know her birth father was a broken man that was healed by his 2 best friends. As does Finn. Just please wait until they're both old enough before you tell exactly how I was broken. Stay brave and take care of Peeta and our kids."_

"_Peeta. Sweet Peeta. I owe you about a million apologies. The biggest and most important would be for the way I broke your heart. Then again, if I hadn't, you may have missed out the best thing in your life – Cato. I guess things work out the way they were supposed to. I don't know if Cato ever told you or if you figured it out on your own, but I was the one who helped get Leonitus to stop chasing after you. It began in District 5. I tried every trick I knew to get the guy interested. At first it didn't work. But I slowly got him to start being with me. By the time we reached District 2, we admitted that we cared about each other. But then we bombed the 'Nut'. Leon ran in to find the man that raised him and never came back out alive. I miss him Peeta. But now I'm ready to let go and be with him again. I get it now, the way you feel for Cato, that feeling of being whole and complete when the one you love is next to you. I've been feeling that. I think Leon is close by, waiting for me to join him. It won't be long now before I see him again. I'm so tired Peeta, so tired of fighting. Don't be sad or angry when I'm gone. You will always have the best part of me – my children. They're yours now. I signed the paperwork earlier so that you and Cato will have all the rights of being their parents. Love them the way Annie and I should have if we were still living. I love you all. Good bye Peeta."_

_The screen goes black. There was nothing else on the disc. Peeta and Cato look at one another, both with tears in their eyes. Finnick was the one who saved their relationship and did it for them! They had suspected something when Finnick got depressed when Leonitus' body was finally removed from the 'Nut'. But others were lost that day too._

"_I'll have the paperwork sent over this afternoon," Portia says handing Rueby to Cato. "You two have quite the family now. I'm so happy for you both."_

Peeta wakes up and feels the tears running down his cheeks. It was a strange dream. Good but strange. He sits up on his cot and sees Finnick sleeping on his cot on the far side of the tent. In the dream, Finnick was the one who helped Peeta get his Cato. And they all ended up friends too. How in the hell did that happen? It wasn't explained in the dream. And it sounded as if Cato and Finnick actually enjoyed each other's company. And what was up with the whole twin twist? He had been there in the hospital wing with Cato and Finnick when little Finn was born. He only heard one infant crying. So the whole twin thing was just a random and odd thing to happen. Oh who was he kidding? The whole fricking dream was odd. Well, except the part where he and Cato were together. That was a dream come true moment.

"Hey, you okay Peeta? You look kind of out of it," Brutus says quietly from his cot.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Peeta replies startled from his thoughts. "Just thinking about this strange, yet seemingly realistic, I had."

"A dream? Not nightmare?" Brutus asks a little confused. "You usually have nightmares."

"Yeah, a dream," Peeta tells him. "But very 'odd' in a good way, maybe?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Brutus asks teasingly.

""Both I guess," Peeta snickers. "I, uh, yeah both."

"You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to," Brutus says unsure of what Peeta is thinking.

"No, I don't mind telling you," Peeta rushes, a slight blush on his cheeks. "It was in the future, about 6 years from now. I was married to Cato, only I didn't know it until about half way through the dream. I could hear a familiar voice, but I didn't see his face until the half-way point."

"So, you're saying it was a good dream then?" Brutus teases.

"Shut up!" laughs Peeta. "Anyway, we had kids – 3 to be exact." He looks down to his hands, a look of sadness flashes across his face. "One of the kids was Finnick's son," he adds quietly.

"Oh?" questions Brutus.

"But it was weird. Not that we had little Finn, but that Finnick had died. He died as a really good friend to both Cato and me," Peeta tells Brutus, slight confusion tinting his voice. "Anyway, it starts out that I got up to take care of our infant daughter. Cato got up when our middle child, a son named Galen, called for him. I got a feeling he was named after Gale. After we got them both back to sleep, Cato began talking about adopting another child, a girl. Then he shows me a photo. It was a female version of lil' Finn. That's when I realize that Annie had twins! Finnick had a daughter and I didn't know if he knew."

"Wait! What? A twin? How?" asks Brutus.

"That's the thing, it was Coin's doing and I don't know how! After I woke up and before you spoke to me, I was actually thinking about that day that lil' Finn was born. Finnick, Cato, and I were in the hall waiting. I never heard more than one baby crying," Peeta tells him. "But the dream made me think it could've been possible. I sound crazy saying that."

"You're not crazy. Then what happened?" Brutus asks intrigued.

"Thanks. Well, Portia brought the little girl over to meet us. Her name was Fiona," Peeta tells him. "She was, uh precocious, to say the least. She knew that I had loved Finnick once, knew the names of our kids, and gave us a disc to watch. It was of Finnick talking to his son." Peeta takes a deep breath. "Almost like he knew he'd never see his son grow up. But the last part was for Cato and me. In Cato's part, Finnick calls him his friend, telling him to look for the girl, uh his daughter, and to take care of me and the kids. To me he tells how he used Leonitus so I could be with Cato only he fell for him. He sadly tells about losing him in 2 after the bombing and cave-in of 'the Nut' and -,"

"What did you just say?" Brutus interrupts again.

"Leonitus dies in the bombing and cave-in of 'the Nut'?" replies Peeta questioningly.

"Where'd you hear that name?" Brutus asks.

"Uh, my dream," Peeta says confused.

"No one mentioned that name to you before?" Brutus questions.

"Not that I recall, why?" asks Peeta still confused.

"I promise to explain everything later," Brutus says as he looks around suspiciously, noting the others are still sleeping. "Anyway, please continue. Finnick says Leonitus dies in 2," Brutus adds when he's done looking.

"Yeah, okay, uh," Peeta begins still really confused. "So I, rather my dream-self, could feel the sadness in Finnick's words as he admits that he fell in love with Leonitus but lost him. We won the war but Finnick lost his will to live. He talked about feeling Leonitus near him. And that's the dream in a nutshell."

"Well, thank you for sharing that Peeta," Brutus says. "It actually sounded, uh, good. You know, other than certain things."

Peeta smiles, "I understand what you mean. It was pretty good. And I always wanted to be a dad someday but…"

"Difficult to do being a guy, loving another guy, and neither able to bear kids," Brutus finishes for him. He stands up and stretches. "Let's go see if there's any breakfast ready."

"Sounds good," Peeta says as he stands.

They walk out not noticing that Finnick was awake and had a stunned look on his face. He had been awake the entire time Peeta had been talking about his dream. It was shocking to hear that Peeta had dreamed about him, sort of, and that he had been friends with Cato and Peeta. But if he's honest with himself, he wants Peeta to be in his life. Even if it's just as a friend. And if he wants Peeta in his life, Cato would be part of the package. Maybe he could help Cato and Peeta get their lives together. And to do that he will have to take a page from Peeta's dream, so to speak. He's going to have to get Leonitus interested in someone else. To get this plan to work, he was going to need help. He knows exactly who he wants to help him – Clove. He jumps up and heads to the mess hall for breakfast, hoping that Clove will be there. He admires her spunk.

Finnick arrives and gets his breakfast. He turns to look for Clove. When he spots her, he's a little disappointed to see her sitting with Gale. Crap, he'll have to wait until she's alone. He turns to find a table but nearly bumps into Cato.

"Hey Finnick," Cato says.

"Oh, hi Cato," Finnick replies.

"O'dair, Muscles, over here," they hear and see Clove wave them over.

"After you," Cato says smiling.

They walk over to the table and see Gale and Clove grinning at them. Cato immediately sits across from Gale.

"Sit with us Finnick," Clove says gesturing to the chair next to Cato. "We need to talk."

He sits down and looks at his dining companions. 'Aww crap' he thinks to himself. 'This is going to be bad'.

"Uh, Fi-Finn-Finnick," Gale stutters.

Finnick looks at him. "Yes Gale?" he asks.

"Crap this is hard," Gale mutters. He takes a deep breath. "Look, you were right about me, uh us, yesterday. And we understand where you were coming from."

"Finnick," Cato begins. It takes him another moment to continue. "The way we treated you after your first mission was wrong. We didn't even give you a chance to defend yourself or explain what happened in your own words. We were wrong and we are sorry."

"I see, uh, wow," Finnick says shocked. Then shame hits him. "Actually, it's I who owes you an apology Cato. The truth is I did climb into Peeta's bed to quiet him down from his nightmare. But I could've and should've gotten back into my own bed when he had calmed down and went back to sleep. It's my fault because waking up next to him, after telling you both I wasn't going to go after him again, made me want him again."

"Thank you for being honest with me," Cato says. "I'd like to forgive and forget. Can you do that too? Because, well, we kind of need your help with this whole Leonitus and Peeta situation."

"Yes, I'd like to forgive and forget as well," Finnick tells Cato honestly. "What can I do to help you?"

The 4 put their heads together and begin to devise a plan to help keep Peeta and Cato together. They are unaware of the confused looks that Brutus and Peeta are sharing when they see the 4 together.

_**1 hour later**_

Jackson and Boggs have their teams in the war room. They just finished going over the plan for capturing the remaining peacekeepers again and were preparing to head out to their positions. Boggs squad would be leaving first. As they walk out, Finnick puts the plan into motion that he, Clove, Gale, and Cato came up with. As he walks by Leonitus, he slips him a note with a flirty smile.

Leonitus' eyes widen as he feels a piece of paper slipped into his hand. He looks down at it confused. He looks around, checking to see if anyone had noticed or was now paying attention. He opens the note and reads:

**Leonitus,**

**I want you to know that I will be watching your back out there. Just try and stay by Cato. Stay safe.**

**Finnick**

His confusion worsens. He reads the short note 2 more times. All he can think is 'what is Finnick up to?' and 'why should I stick by Cato?' He tucks the note into his pocket and stands to join the rest of his squad. He knows they all hate him for what he's doing to Cato and Peeta. He's not sure why he's acting the way he is. Ever since he laid eyes on Peeta, he's wanted to be near him. Peeta is good looking and he'd love nothing more than to make Peeta his. Peeta has a certain quality that makes him want to change. He sees Cato from the corner of his eye. He can see the change Peeta made in Cato. Just before the games, Cato was a bloodthirsty fighter. After spending time with Peeta, Cato seems softer and kinder. Speaking, or rather thinking of Cato, Leonitus notices him making his way over towards him. 'Surely this can't end well' he thinks.

"Hey Leonitus, can I speak to you really quick?" Cato asks.

"Sure," Leonitus replies curious.

They fall to the back of the squad.

"I just wanted you to know that I requested that we be partnered up," Cato begins. "And not so we can fight it out between us but for Peeta. I love him and if we're together, it'll be easier for him to keep an eye on us. And to be honest, we've already put him through enough."

"Good to know," replies Leonitus cautiously. He's still unsure of what exactly is going on.

"The other thing you should know is that I will be fighting for him until my dying breath. He is my life and I'll only give him up when I'm dead!" Cato says with fervor.

"As well you should," Leonitus replies with a smile. "But you should know that what started as a game to hurt you has changed for me. I find myself truly wanting to get to know Peeta. And I want him to get to know me, the real me, not the guy everyone believes me to be."

"And just who is the real you?" asks Cato harshly, trying to stick to the plan. "The guy that uses others? The rapist? The bully?"

"I do have a good side you know," Leonitus says quietly, nearly a whisper, before turning away and following the others.

Stunned, Cato rushes to catch up to Leonitus and grabbing his arm, "Than prove it! Show how different you are."

"And how do I do that?" Leonitus asks.

"When we get back, you hang with me and my friends," Cato suggests.

"But they hate me! Especially Clove!" exclaims Leonitus.

"Change their minds!" Cato exclaims right back. "Just stay by my side and show us you are different from what we think we know of you, please."

'What if this is a trick? Should I really trust Cato? He seems rather sincere…' Leonitus thinks to himself.

Cato watches Leonitus' face and knows that he is questioning Cato's honesty. "I realize that this may seem like a trick. So, don't do this for me, or even yourself. Do it for Peeta. Let him see you in a different light," Cato says genuinely. Noticing the skeptical look on Leonitus' face, he continues, "Look, what's the worst that can happen? For me, that would be losing Peeta to you."

"We both know that's not the worst that can happen!" Leonitus replies, thinking of the 2 suitor rule.

"Leonitus, just what do you think this rebellion is about?" Cato asks studying the skeptical look on Leonitus' face. "It's to change things, to make things better for every one of Panem's citizens! Imagine for a moment that our roles were reversed, wouldn't you do everything you could to wipe out things like the _2 suitor rule_ and the _Hunger Games_?" asks Cato passionately. When Leonitus doesn't say anything, Cato continues, "Just give this a chance. You could end up proving all your critics wrong about you – including me! And do it with the support of those who could become your friends."

Leonitus studies Cato and sees that he is being serious. This Cato is so much more different than the Cato he thought he knew. "Okay Cato, I'll give this a chance. But at the first sign that I'm being played a fool, I will not hesitate in seeking my revenge!"

"Deal," Cato replies his hand out to shake hands. They then rush to join the rest of their squad.

_**2 hours later**_

"Well, that was just too much fun!" exclaims Johanna sarcastically and annoyed.

"Yeah, and no one got hurt," Delly says a little too happily. The rest of the group groans at her.

"Stuff it Dels," Johanna retorts under her breath.

Jackson's squad is heading back to headquarters to rejoin with Boggs' squad again. All this time here and the remaining peacekeeper suddenly decide to give up without a fight or a single shot fired.

Walking along, Cato feels a tap on his shoulder. He's stunned momentarily by who it is.

"Can we talk again?" asks Leonitus shyly.

"Sure," Cato replies adjusting his step to walk next to Leonitus. "What's on your mind? You look like you've been doing some serious thinking."

"It's about this mission and how this just doesn't feel right. It was way too easy to get control today. I think Snow is up to something big," Leonitus says just loud enough, and with a touch of worry, for Cato to hear. "When I was with him, he was adamant about ending this rebellion quickly and on his own terms. Plus, he still has Ariel and Bree with him. Their mission was to try and capture one of you guys that were in the games. I have yet to see or hear of an attempt."

"I agree with you that today was rather easy," Cato responds. "But why are you telling me about the girls and their orders?" he asks curiously.

Leonitus stops walking. "Honestly?" asks Leonitus.

"Yes, please," Cato replies standing next to him.

"I just spent the last 2 hours seriously thinking about what you said," Leonitus answers looking Cato in the eye. "My life wasn't as great as many people in District 2 think."

Cato waits for him to say more. When he doesn't, Cato says, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Actually, I was just thinking that maybe I should tell everyone later. Try and 'earn' the trust of the others, if you will," Leonitus explains as he rubs the back of his neck. "Do you think Peeta could join us as well?"

"I think if we tell Brutus and Enobaria, there shouldn't be any problems. Are you sure you want to do this?" Cato asks.

"No, but I need to do it," Leonitus replies resignedly. "I've never had friends before and watching you and Clove with the others has made me realize what I've been missing. " He looks at Cato shyly, "I've always been jealous of your friendship with Clove."

Cato could hear sadness and even fear in his voice. "But you always seemed to enjoy hanging out with those people back home," he says shocked.

"You'll understand when I explain later," Leonitus tells him sadly. "We better get going. I'll talk to you again later," Leonitus says as he starts heading for the door to the command center.

Cato watches as he walks away. He is confused by Leonitus' behavior. The change in him is shocking to say the least. A part of him wants to try and trust the guy while another part thinks that it's a trick. Cato follows him into the building, hoping that Leonitus will clear up this confusion he's feeling.


	23. Chapter 22: Leonitus' Confessi

_**The Games We Played**_

Chapter 22: Leonitus' Confession and Going to District 4

**Yes! The next chapter is here! I'm dedicating this chapter to the 3 sweet people who reviewed the last chapter – cupcakesprinkles14, yuntani, and pumpkinking5! After taking almost 5 months to update, I honestly wasn't expecting **_**any**_** reviews. **

_**Dinnertime**_

Leonitus walks into the dining tent with his two guards. Cato told him to sit with him and the rest of the group when he gets his dinner. He quickly grabs his food and turns to look for Cato, his nerves on edge. If he doesn't find him soon, he may never get this chance again.

"Leonitus, over here," he hears coming from his right. He turns and sees Finnick waving him over. He looks to his two guards who just shrug. They follow him towards the group quietly. As he arrives at the table, he suddenly gets the urge to run.

"It's okay Leonitus," Cato says. "I told everyone you'd be joining us. Please sit," he adds gesturing at a chair to his right.

Leonitus sits in the chair at the end of the table. Finnick is seated to his right and Cato to his left. Not a comfortable spot to be in his position. Especially knowing that everyone hates him for what happened with Peeta back in 13 and want to kill him. He's going to try to prove everyone that he is different.

"Thank you for allowing me to join you all," he says as he takes his seat.

"Well, Cato said you wanted to tell us all something and even went through the trouble to include Peeta Bread here," Clove says. "I still don't trust you but I do trust Cato – with my life. He said this was important." She points a fork at him, "If I even think you are messing with us, you'll regret ever being born!"

"Clove!" exclaims Finnick.

Leonitus puts his hand on Finnick's arm. "It's okay Finnick. I expected her to say something like that. It's who she is and I find it an admirable trait really. She shouldn't change just because I sat here. Just let her be please." He can feel the shocked looks towards him and he chuckles. "Why don't we eat before I tell you my story?"

Everyone nods and they quickly begin to eat. Once finished, they all eventually turn towards Leonitus expectantly.

"Alright _Leon, _what is it that you wanted to say to us?" Asks Johanna snidely.

"Johanna!" exclaims Finnick again. "What is it with all the rudeness towards Leonitus? Just give the guy a second to gather his thoughts."

"Listen here Fish Boy – " Johanna begins.

"Enough!" Peeta yells. "Can we all just calm down and listen to what he has to say?"

"I agree with Peeta," Cato says. "He said he'd tell us and I believe he will." He turns to Leonitus, "I don't mean to be rude but you may want to start soon."

"It's fine Cato. You're being rather nice considering everything," Leonitus says to Cato. He turns to Finnick, "And thanks for sticking up for me." He looks down and sighs before looking back up and faces the others. "What I'm about to tell you is in NO way to excuse my behavior but hopefully an explanation," he begins.

"_I am the 6__th__ son and 8__th__ child born to a former victor. There are 2 more boys and 4 more girls after me. At least that I know of. None of us share a mother, except the twins Lena and Lara. All of our names begin with an 'L' because that is the first letter of our father's name. And he requests all his children's names begin with it I've been told. Out of all of us, I am the only one to actually enter the games, although we've all been trained. My older brothers are all peacekeepers. My 2 older sisters work for Snow in his mansion, secretaries or something._

_I grew up thinking that the man raising me was my father until I began my training for the games. That's when one of my older brothers, Lakin, told me the truth. I didn't believe him at first. That night when I got home I mentioned it to my parents. I was devastated to learn it was true. Turns out my 'step father' couldn't actually father children of his own. So he and my mother came up with the plan to get pregnant with a Victor's child. They wanted a child with a high potential to win the games and get them out of the squalor they lived in. basically I was conceived to raise them out of poverty."_

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Leonitus, but how old were you when you learned this?" asks Madge.

"_I was nine and it shattered my world. I never could understand why my family on my step-dad's side didn't like me. I was bullied by my 'cousins'. It made sense when I finally learned the truth. But then things at home began to change. My 'father' started drinking more and my mother became withdrawn. I was 10 when the beatings began and 14 when my mother died."_

Leonitus pauses, looking down at his clasped hands in front of him. The silence was deafening.

"How did your mom die Leonitus?" asks Tavin, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Tavin, that's not something you just ask like that!" exclaims Marvel, embarrassed over his brother's lack of tact.

Leonitus looks at the brothers sadly. _"It's okay Marvel. Tavin is obviously curious." _He looks down before taking. _"It's my fault. I had realized that I was attracted to boys as well as girls when I was 13. I told my parents that I was confused about it and they never really did explain anything. They just seemed to accept me liking both sexes. My mother seemed more accepting than my step-dad but all I knew was that I felt better that I told them. I then met a boy not much later and brought him to the house. He was a year older than me and I thought he was absolutely perfect. We were in my room and soon we began to fool around. We were on my bed in just our underwear kissing and grinding against one another when my mother walked in. She never said one word, just turned around and walked out. The guy left not much later, dressing quickly. We were never together again after that night."_

"What happened to the guy?" questions Rie, interrupting the tale.

"_He freaked out being caught by my mother. He kept repeating that I was just an experiment to see if he was gay and that he wasn't. Then he told me that I was never to speak of what had just happened between the two of us. As he walked out my front door, he whispered in my ear that he'd kill me if he ever found out that I told anyone. He died in the 73__rd__ games, leaving behind a very pregnant wife and a very confused boyfriend who didn't know about the wife."_

Leonitus sat there quietly remembering his first relationship and the aftermath.

"Then what happened at home?" Wheet asks trying to get the story back on track.

"_My mother swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills that night and died. I blamed myself for letting her see me like that and my step-dad just simply blamed me. Eventually his drinking got worse and so did his hatred towards me. That's when he began to abuse me. And I took it, believing every word he said about me. By the time I was 16, I was taking that abuse and turning it back onto others. I began hitting whomever I was with – male or female. I then started to hang with those 'cousins' that hated me when I was younger. It was so bad. I even slept with a couple of them – the guys not the girls. I told myself it was okay because they weren't my real family or anything."_

"What about my brother Gavin?" asks Clove angrily. "Are you the one that beat him?"

"_Gavin was my light in the dark world I lived in. He was trying to help me get away from all the bad in my life. So to answer your question Clove, no, I never hit him and I wasn't the one who raped him. But I do have my own theories about who could've done it. Unfortunately I have no way to prove it. I want you to know that he really was helping me when he was still alive."_

"But he seemed so certain it was you," Clove said quietly.

"_I know Clove, but I honestly did not do it. I have a brother and 2 cousins on my mother's side that I've been told I looked like and actually been confused for. I fell in love with Gavin, Clove. I was going to get away from my abusers and ask him to move in with me when he turned 18. When he killed himself, I gave up. I knew that without him in my life I would return to my old ways, and I did. I also vowed never to fall in love again."_

"What about Cato? Did you drug him? Was it really you?" fires Peeta, his voice breaking.

"_Yes, unfortunately it was," _Leonitus admits. He turns to Cato. _"I was really tired of all the accusations and decided just to be that 'bad boy' that everyone believed me to be. You were the first person I picked and I'm truly sorry for what I did to you. You were, and still are, so very attractive and that's why I chose you. I just hope that now that you know, that maybe one day you'll be able to forgive me."_

Cato doesn't say anything. He actually looks down to avoid Leonitus' gaze.

"So, what made you go after our Peeta?" asks Gale.

"_I first saw him on the reaping recap. I was interested but not over Cato yet. I then began to watch him during the games training. I began to realize he was rather attractive – almost as much as I found Cato to be. I also noticed Cato watching him and I began to get jealous. I watched as Cato began to change. He wasn't the blood thirsty guy I had known in 2. I realized that Peeta was changing him much in the way Gavin had changed me. I don't know the exact moment I decided I wanted Peeta or why I went after him the way I did in the arena or even in 13." _Leonitus rubs the back of his neck, shame flooding through him._ "I can tell you that that a part of me wanted the old Cato back. I was most definitely attracted to that brutal part of him. But I also wanted that, uh, calmness that Peeta had brought to Cato – which Gavin had brought to me once." _He looks down to his lap. _"I still do," _he admits quietly. _"It's the main reason I invoked the 2 suitor rule. I'm not really the bully I've shown to people. At least I don't want to be that way. I just…" _he buries his face in his hands, elbows resting on the table.

Everyone at the table is stunned into silence, trying to make sense of what they've heard so far. Not one of them knowing exactly what to say next. After several minutes pass, Finnick is the first to speak.

"That's just… wow! I can't, and won't, speak for the others but I'm willing to give you a chance to show the real you," he says reaching for Leonitus' hand that was placed on the table during Finnick's speech.

"Thank you Finnick," replies Leonitus looking at Finnick's hand on his. "It means a lot to me."

After the others begin to add their voices of support Clove says, "You best be telling the truth or I will be sticking my knife in your heart!"

Boggs and Jackson walk up and join the group.

"We found out why we were able to take 5 in such a short time today. And without a single shot fired!" Boggs states.

"It turns out that Snow is pulling peacekeepers from the districts. He's concentrating all his man power to Districts 1 and 2 as well as the Capitol. District 3 is now under rebel control and 4 will be soon," adds Jackson.

"So, it's going to be an early night and morning for you all. We're heading to 4 first thing in the morning when the newly trained troops arrive to replace us. Make sure you're packed and ready to go by 7 am," Boggs tells the group. "No excuses."

"Leonitus, you and your two guards will be joining us as per Coin's orders," Jackson says. "Your guards will be released back to their squad when we arrive in 4 and you will be under Boggs and my guard."

"Sounds good ma'am. Thank you," Leonitus replies stunning everyone yet again. He is truly trying to be a better person.

A few moments later the group begins to get up and head to their tents. They know that the sooner they pack, the less they have to do before leaving the next day. Leonitus and his guards leave first after wishing everyone a good night. The last to leave are Cato, Clove, Gale, and Finnick.

"I don't know that I believe Leonitus' story. I think he might be lying to gain Peeta's trust," Clove says.

"Why don't we find out if there's anyone going back to 13. We can send a message to Foxface and ask her to check out his story," suggests Gale.

"I say we send it with Rory or Prim. I overheard Dr. Aurelius and Mrs. Everdeen before dinner discussing sending them back to get more supplies they want when they go to the next camp," Cato tells them.

"I'll talk to Boggs and Jackson about Leonitus joining us when we board tomorrow," Finnick says. "You know the saying – keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

"I guess it's a good thing we're all friends here, eh Finnick?" teases Clove.

"Hey, after this morning, Finnick proved himself to me," says Gale. "I watched as he passed the note just as we planned. I can't believe he did as we asked."

"Thanks Gale, but most of the credit should go to Cato," Finnick says turning to the blonde. "Whatever you said to him this morning must have made him want to open up. Even if the story turns out to be a pack of lies."

"Yeah, about that, I kinda used Peeta as a way to get him to talk," Cato admits rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "I honestly didn't think it would work. But I think that there is a bit of truth to his story. I may not believe the whole thing but there's just something…. I can't explain it."

"In a way, using Peeta was a good idea Cato," Clove says intentionally ignoring the comments he made about Leonitus. She turns to Finnick. "Hey Finn, you mentioned this morning that you had overheard Brutus and Peeta talking and knew you had to talk to me. What did you hear?"

Finnick wipes his hands down his pants. "Uh, well Peeta had a dream last night about him and Cato but I was in it."

"Peeta had a dream and we were both in it? Care to tell your friends about it?" asks Cato.

Finnick nods and begins to tell the other 3 about Peeta's dream.

"And after Peeta and Brutus left, I wanted to talk to Clove. I wanted to ask her what her opinion was about taking a page from Peeta's dream for getting rid of Leonitus. But then this morning we all sat together and the point became mute," Finnick says.

"Huh, now that I've heard the dream, you're right Finnick. We did take a page from the dream," Gale says chuckling.

_**Meanwhile**_

Peeta, Brutus, and Enobaria break off from the rest of the group and head towards the fountain in the city center to discuss Peeta's upcoming 'dates'.

"So, we found out that your next date with Leonitus and Cato has been planned," Enobaria says.

"Cool," Peeta says uninterested. "When are they?" he asks kicking a pebble.

"In District 4," Brutus tells him. "Leonitus will be taking you to a carnival on the pier. Finnick, Madge, Eno, and I will be coming with you."

"And what am I doing with Cato?" Peeta wonders aloud.

"You and Cato will be going to the beach for and afternoon for fun and games, swimming, and a sunset weenie roast. You will be joined by Katniss, Marvel, Johanna, and Wheet," Enobaria tells him.

"Wait! You and Brutus won't be with us at the beach? I thought you two had to be there for all my dates as chaperones," Peeta ponders.

"Normally that would be true. But since your oldest brother will be with you, we've been given the chance to sit this one out," Enobaria admits.

"But just because we aren't going to be there, don't think you and Cato will be able to sneak away for any private time either," Brutus adds. "Just because we Eno and I aren't going to be on the beach with you doesn't mean that we won't be too far away either."

"When do these 'dates' take place?" asks Peeta.

"The day after tomorrow," Brutus replies. "Your dates are pretty popular in the Capitol. Our spies there are saying that your love life is a major hot topic there."

"Great," Peeta says rather sarcastically. "What else do the wonderful Capitol citizens have to say about me?" he asks not really wanting to know the answer but curious at the same time.

"Well, most are invested in you and Cato," Enobaria tells him. "But there are a growing number of citizens that want to see you with Leonitus."

"Ugh, are you kidding me?" Peeta asks. "I love Cato. I only want to be with him." He sits down on the edge of the fountain. "Why is my life always in such turmoil?"

"I know this is a lot to take in Peeta but keep your head up," Brutus tells Peeta. "Look at it like this – we have most of the districts on our side now. Soon we'll be in the Capitol and removing Snow from power and giving freedom to all of Panem. Once that happens, the 2 suitor rule can be eliminated and you will be with Cato."

"You make it sound so simple Brutus," Peeta says dejectedly. "But I can't help but feel that Coin isn't that different from Snow. As I see it, she may even be worse."

"You may be right Peeta," Enobaria says. "But we need to focus on getting rid of Snow first. Plus, Foxface is doing her part to investigate Coin with Beetee's help. By the time we get to the Capitol, we'll know more than enough to deal with her."

"You're right _Eno,_" Peeta says smiling. "While I got you two here, what did you think of Leonitus' confession? Was it believable?"

"I'm honestly not sure about a lot of it," Brutus admits. "If his father is who I think he claims it is, than the part about all the children is true. But I can't say if he was completely honest."

"If it's all true, then I'm surprised that he didn't break down sooner," says Enobaria. "I used to watch him in the training center of 2. He was a fierce fighter. Almost as good as Cato. But I think we still need to keep an eye on him around you still."

"Thanks guys. You two are the only ones that are keeping me in one piece right now," Peeta admits shyly. "It's times like this that I feel like I don't know which way is up."

"Don't get all girly on us Peeta," Enobaria teases. She looks at her watch. "We better head to our tents and get packing. Stick close to us on the hovercraft tomorrow Peeta. We don't want to make it look like you've made a decision before the time is up on that crappy rule. Although everyone here knows you want to be with Cato, we still need to make it look good to the public."

"Sure thing Eno," Peeta tells her as they walk to the tents.

_**Back in District 13**_

"Stop worrying so much Fennel," Hazel says. "Your boys, the girls, and Gale are fine. You saw the footage, there wasn't even any gunfire or bloodshed."

"I know and you're right," Fennel replies. "It's just that Peeta seemed so fragile when he left. I've never seen him like that before. And Leonitus is there too. That boy is a danger to _our_ son."

Hazel smiles as she understands that Fennel is referring to her raising Peeta after he was kicked out. She gets up from the couch she was sitting on and crosses over to the one Fennel was on. "Peeta is stronger than you think. What happened with that other boy is just a stumbling block. Cato and Peeta share a love that is strong. And now that he has you and his brothers in his life again, he has even more reasons to fight. After they get 4 into rebel hands, all our boys will be back here for a short time before they head out again. They'll conquer 1 and 2 before heading to the Capitol. Once Snow is gone, Maxamilian said all the laws passed in 2 will be null and void. Cato and Peeta will get their happy-ever-after."

Fennel turns to her. "How do you always know what to say to me to make me feel better?" he asks before leaning over to peck her lips.

"Women's intuition," she whispers against his lips before kissing him back with passion.

_**Elsewhere in 13**_

Foxface and Beetee are in a hidden room, going over more of the paperwork.

"The more I look over these papers, the more I think some of them are lies, fake," Beetee says fed up.

"What do you mean?" asks Foxface.

"Well, look at the pages the family lineages are on," he says holding up a small stack of papers. "Some of these pages look older than the others, like they've aged with time. Take this page that says that Peeta's mother is Snow's niece. It has a slightly yellow tint to it whereas this page that claims that Cato, Clove, Brutus, and Enobaria share a relative is whiter."

"Maybe I can talk to Maxamilian about this," Foxface says contemplating what she just heard. "When we were studying the 2 Suitor Rule earlier, he mentioned that his wife had been able to grab the families ancestry book."

"That's a great idea," Beetee says. "How is the rule research going anyway?"

"You can't imagine all the rules," Foxface admits. "And the language is so complicated. We only got about a quarter of the way through before he had to leave. He's training the new troops that are leaving tomorrow."

"Why don't you go talk to him now?" he suggests. "There's still an hour before bedtime and lights out. You have a photocopy of this family history page with the supposed relation. I suggest you take it and show it to Maxamilian. He could be a great asset to this investigation."

"Good idea. Thanks Beetee," Foxface responds. "Let's clean this up and I'll go talk to him before curfew."

Ten minutes later, Foxface finds herself knocking on the Canelos' door feeling slightly nervous.

"Camille my dear, please come in," Maxamilian says as he opens the door wider to let her in. "What can I do for you?" he asks as he closes the door behind her.

"I actually have something to show you as well as a favor to ask," she tells him.

"I'll do what I can to help," he tells her, directing her to the sofa. He sits and listens to her tale, glancing at the paper she brought to show him. He agrees to help. "The book is over here. Come, let's check this out," he says as he stands up.

Thirty minutes later Foxface was in her room writing a note to Peeta and the gang. In the morning she'd give it to one of the new soldiers to give to Peeta.

_**District 5 – the next morning**_

Clove runs over to the tent where the medical personnel was sleeping. She sees Prim and Rory packed and ready to return to 13.

"Prim!" Clove calls out.

"Hey Clove, what can I do for you?" she asks.

"I have a letter for Foxface," Clove replies smiling. "Would it be possible for you to give it to her?"

"Sure," Prim answers. Clove hands her the envelope. "Anything else I can do for you?" Prim asks.

"Just be safe," Clove replies. She turns to Rory. "You too Rory. Say hi to your mom for me." She turns to walk away. She stops, looks over her shoulder and says, "I hope to see you both in 4 soon."

"Bye Clove," the two youngsters say together as Clove exits the tent.

Clove runs back to her tent, gathers her stuff together, and heads over to await the hovercraft with the rest of the teams. About 10 minutes later, the hovercraft lands. She watches as the new team disembarks. A gorgeous, tall young man with dark brown hair and gold eyes walks over towards their group. He stops when he is in front of Peeta.

"Are you Peeta," he asks. His voice is as sultry as his looks.

"I am," Peeta replies unaffected by the good looking man in front of him.

"These are for you," the man says handing Peeta 2 envelopes bearing his name.

"Thank you," Peeta says as the hunk turns to walk away.

"The name's Mason and you are very welcome," he replies over his shoulder, giving Peeta a wink, as he rejoins his squad.

Clove checks to see Cato's reaction and is thankful that he seems to be deep in conversation with Finnick, Gale, and Leonitus. She catches Peeta sliding the envelopes into his vest pocket and smiles. She recognized the handwriting on one of the envelopes – it belongs to Foxface. She hopes that it's good news inside that letter.

Peeta gets on the hovercraft and sits between Brutus and Enobaria as he was told the night before. Directly across from him, Cato sits. Gale sits to Cato's left and Finnick to his right, which confuses Peeta greatly as he wonders when and how the two became friends. Leonitus sits next to Finnick when Finn calls him over. Now Peeta is so bewildered his head is swimming with questions. As the rest of the group comes in and takes their seats, Peeta shakes his head and pulls out the letter that _Mason_ handed him. He knew the guy was flirting with him, but he had enough on his plate dealing with loving Cato and dating Leonitus. As he looks at the envelopes, he sees Foxface's writing and wonders what new hell she's found now. The other envelope is thicker and has Hazel's handwriting. Slightly worried now, he tucks Foxface's note back in his pocket and opens the one from Hazel. Turns out there are 4 notes tucked into the envelope – one for him, Wheet, Rie, and Gale. Once the hovercraft is safely in the air, he gets up and gives the other boys theirs before sitting down and reading his own. He smiles as he recognizes his dad's handwriting.

Dearest Peeta,

Hey son. How are you? I'm not doing so well. I miss my girls and boys – all of you, Cato included. Hazel is doing her best to keep me from going crazy. I'm not baking as much anymore as so many of you are out in the districts, protecting the citizens of Panem. With more time on my hands, the more I tend to worry about my kids. Sae has decided to take me under her wing and is teaching me how to do more than just bake. Wish her luck and keep your fingers crossed.

Love, Dad

_Dear Peeta,_

_Hi sweetie, Hazel here. Chin up my son. Keep your head on straight and I will see you soon. Remember that you do this right and Cato will be yours forever._

_Love Mama Hazel_

**Hi Peeta. I didn't have time to draw you a picture this time.**

**Love Posy**

Peeta's eyes fill with tears. He fights to keep them from falling down his cheeks and causing the others to worry more about him. He is so very happy to have the three people he cares most about sending him love from 13. What Peeta missed was the concerned looks on both Cato and Leonitus' faces moments ago. Finnick realizes that both are looking intently at Peeta so he looks over. While concerned about what could be causing the tears, he knows that Peeta will talk about it when he's ready.

Peeta opens the letter from Foxface and reads:

_Hiya Peeta_

_Some interesting news for you. Remember those 'family trees' we found in Coin's boxes? Well, it turns out that the information may be false! Well, some of it anyway. Cato and Brutus seem to possibly share an ancestor but it doesn't look like they share one with Clove and Enobaria. Tonight I am to meet with Clove's family to see if they can possible shed any light on this. I will keep you posted on my progress. Also, if you could ask Finnick if he has something about his family tree that I can study, that would be so very much appreciated._

_Beetee and I found a box of videos the other day. Beetee is going to view them tomorrow. There are about 15 videos to be gone through. We're unsure how long the videos are so we don't have a time table for that. But as soon as I know anything, I'll tell you._

_Oh, one last thing – I may be joining you all when you head to District 2! Beetee too!_

_Well, that's all for now. Come back to 13 safely and bring Cato home safely as well __._

_Your friend,_

_Foxface_

_p.s. I almost forgot. Your mother may still be related to Snow. I need to talk to your Dad soon._

Peeta's emotions are all over the place – shock, happiness, and embarrassment being the 3 prominent ones. He turns to Brutus.

"Can you, Eno, and I speak privately for a minute?" he asks quietly so as not to be overheard.

"Sure," he replies. "Eno, let's take Peeta for a stroll. He needs a moment to collect himself and his thoughts," he adds whisper yelling to Enobaria.

Eno looks at the 2 guys, looking for a clue. "Sure, let's go," she replies somehow understanding that Peeta has some news to share from one of his letters.

The three get up and leave the room. They walk through a couple halls before finding an empty room in which to talk. Peeta tells them of Foxface's findings leaving the pair in shock.

"When we get back, I'll go through my family tree with her and Beetee," Enobaria says. "I thought for sure the names on that paper seemed familiar."

"When we get to District 2, I'll go to my secret place and get my family book for Foxface as well," Brutus says thinking.

"At least you guys have a way to find proof," Peeta says sadly. "Unless my parents had a secret place like Brutus, it looks like my family tree is going to start with my parents. Everything my family owned, Snow bombed and burned."

"Don't give up hope Peeta," Enobaria says placing a hand on his shoulder. "There may still be a way to check and confirm everything."

"How's that going to happen?" Peeta asks curiously.

"You know the check-in procedure before the reapings?" Enobaria asks slyly. As soon as Peeta nods his affirmation, she continues. "You didn't think that information is kept in the districts, did you?"

"Well, yeah I did," Peeta admits. "I watched Old Cray, the District 12 Head peacekeeper, take them into the Justice building. But the one in 12 was destroyed, remember?"

"Right," Brutus agrees. "But the items in question aren't actually left in the basement of the local districts basements. They're placed in crates and shipped to the Capitol with the tributes. No one the wiser."

"So, how did you find out about this?" asks Peeta.

"Ah…, well, I explored the train once when I first became a mentor," Brutus begins explaining. "I can't tell you how I got past the peacekeepers guarding the door but I found the crate. I opened it carefully only to find the reaping records."

"Why can't you tell me how you got past the peacekeepers?" asks Peeta really curious as to how it was done.

"It's not something I'm proud of Peeta," Brutus tells him. "Just know that it's something I will never attempt again. And no, it wasn't anything sexual Eno." He adds turning towards her.

"I didn't say a word," she replies, rolling her eyes, hands up in surrender. "But we should head back now. We're either really close to 4 by now or we're going to be served some food."

"Well, that is… Uh, I don't even know how to respond," Brutus says confused.

"You do realize this brings more questions," Peeta says heading to the door. "Especially after the whole baby switch fiasco."

"We'll talk to Foxface and Beetee next time we see them," Brutus says following Peeta and Enobaria out the door.

The trio return to their seats across from Cato and the rest. Cato turns to Peeta and gives him a gentle smile before turning back to his conversation with Finnick and Leonitus. Moments later, Leonitus then Finnick also turn to Peeta to give him a smile. Peeta is now certain something is going on with the trio. He begin to wonder if Gale and Clove are in on it when they both wink at him when he looks at them.

"There's something fishy going on with the 5 of them," Brutus whispers in Peeta's ear.

"Tell me about it," Peeta replies with a whisper of his own before he sees Boggs walking in.

"Alright squads," Boggs voice booms. "There's food ready so follow me."

As they eat, Boggs and Jackson explain that District 4 is now pretty much under rebel control but there are rumors that Ariel was hiding out somewhere in the district, looking for something or someone. The mission for the 2 squads was now to find her and capture her. The mission would begin the day after tomorrow due to Peeta having his 'dates the following day. Plus, it gives time to gather more Intel on Ariel's movements within the district. Finnick surprises everyone by suggesting a tour of his home district followed by a home cooked meal at his home. Boggs and Jackson surprisingly agree.

They land in 4 about an hour later. Jackson volunteers to take a small squad already assigned to this district to Finnick's house to do a safety sweep of the home. Finnick's tour is to end at his house, meeting up with Jackson.

Brutus, Enobaria, and Peeta quietly discuss how to get Finnick alone and ask him for his family history while Finnick proudly shows off his district. It doesn't escape anyone's notice how loved he is by his home district.

Arriving at Finnick's home, the group is amazed to see how close it is to the ocean and pier. After giving them a tour of his 6 bedroom home, Boggs and Jackson decide that the 2 squads will stay at the house. Better for Peeta's scheduled 'dates' the next day, everyone agrees with the decision. The girls decide that they'd like to take a real shower, particularly those that spent more than a month in District 5.

While the girls were bathing, word came that Cinna and Portia arrived in 4 with Pollux and Castor for the dates happening the following day. It is arranged for them to stay in the house next door that once belonged to Annie. The small group is being guarded by a small squad from 13 led by Maxamilian Canelos. It was decided that the two households would have dinner together on the beach an hour before sundown.

Cato is thrilled to be able to spend some time with his dad again. He has missed him a lot. It also doesn't escape his notice that Peeta has disappeared again with Brutus and Enobaria. Now that he thinks about it, Finnick and Boggs haven't been around since the announcement about dinner either. When he speaks to Jackson about the missing members, she tells him not to worry. 'Yeah right,' Cato thinks to himself.

Peeta, upon hearing that Maxamilian was next door, has Brutus and Enobaria get permission for him to speak to the man. Brutus asks permission to take Finnick with them when he explains to Boggs about the letters from Foxface. Boggs was aware of the investigation and agrees to let Finnick go. When Finnick is informed that he is needed to go to talk to Maxamilian, he is surprised. He shows the group a hidden, yet quick path that leads to the other house that is located underground.

Once at Annie's house, Maxamilian joins the group in the library of the house. After Peeta and Maxamilian tear filled reunion, they sit and talk. Peeta pulls out the papers he and Foxface had gathered and begins to tell him about what they had discovered; unaware that Foxface had already talked to Maxamilian. Finnick learns of the newest letter from Foxface that contradicts the previous information of the family relationships of Brutus, Enobaria, Clove, and Cato. When Peeta finishes, Maxamilian pulls a thick envelope from his jacket.

"I have talked to Foxface just the other day about this," Maxamilian tells Peeta. "My wife was brilliant enough to pack our family tree book when we prepared to go to District 13. Ceteria was afraid to leave it behind. Cresentia had the same idea and brought Clove's family tree book as well." Max hands the thick envelope to Peeta. "Foxface and Beetee stayed up late last night and poured over the information in the books." He turns to Finnick, "I'm glad they invited you along as Foxface asked me to ask you if you had any information on your family tree and if it would be possible to examine it."

Finnick, still in shock from all the new information he heard, looks at Maxamilian. "I do actually. So did Annie and Mags," he adds tears in his eyes as he mentions Mags. He stands and walks to a painting on the wall. He removes the painting and reveals a hidden safe. He opens it and pulls out 3 books. "We had this secretly installed here when Annie found out she was pregnant. She insisted on it and Mags and I decided to keep our family books here," he tells the group. He hands the books to Max. "Please take these to Foxface and tell her she has my permission to go through all three books. I'm happy to do anything to help with her investigation." He turns to close the safe and notices an envelope in the safe with his name on it. He takes it out and recognizes Annie's handwriting. He slips the envelope into his pocket as he shut the safe door. He replaces the painting and returns to his seat.

"What about her own family tree?" Peeta asks Maxamilian. "Do you know if she's going over that too?"

"I honestly don't know son," Maxamilian replies. "Maybe the answer is in that envelope I gave you."

"Thanks Max, for delivering this to me," Peeta says sincerely clutching the envelope. "I know it carries a heavy risk to you and your family."

"You are my family too Peeta," Maxamilian says smiling at him. Before he can say more, Cinna knocks and enters the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," he says as he walks in. "I heard that Peeta and Finnick were here and I have something to give them."

"You're not interrupting Cinna," Maxamilian replies. "We were just about done here anyway."

"Then I'm glad I caught you when I did," Cinna says smiling widely as he walks over to the group pulling out a stack of letters from behind his back. "I have mail!" He removes the top envelope and hands it to Finnick before handing the rest of the stack to Peeta. "These are letters from your families."

Peeta and Finnick take the letters and thank Cinna.

"I hate to be the party pooper," Boggs says standing up. "But we really need to head back before too many of the others begin to notice our absence."

They all stand up and Maxamilian gives Peeta another manly hug before they leave, whispering in his ear causing the younger man to smile broadly.

"See you all later at dinner," Max says as they enter the secret passage.

Back at Finnick's house, the small group quickly sneaks in and separate. Finnick goes to his private office to read his letters. He opens the one from 13 first. It's from the ladies that are watching his son while he's out on these missions. With the letter is a picture of his son. Seeing the photo, Finnick begins to cry. He can see how much his son has changed in the short time he has been gone. He has a tooth coming in now. Finnick is startled by a knock on the door.

"Finnick, are you alright?" a voice asks.

Finnick wipes the tears from his face as he goes to the door. Upon opening the door, he's a little surprised to see Leonitus standing there.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I was walking by and heard crying," Leonitus says looking down at his feet.

"It's alright," Finnick says. "I was just missing my son."

"Oh. I'll, uh, just go. Uhm, sorry to, uh, have bothered you," Leonitus stammers.

Finnick looks to make sure no one is around before pulling Leonitus into the room and shutting the door. He turns to Leonitus, "I got a letter from 13 today and inside was a picture of my son." He hands Leonitus the picture. "It just hit me how much I'm missing of his life while helping with the rebellion," he tells the younger man before the tears begin to fall again.

Leonitus isn't sure what to do. He sees a small couch and pulls Finnick towards it. They sit and he awkwardly pulls Finnick closer to try and comfort him.

While Finnick is in his office, Peeta has been looking for his friends. He finds the guys in a bedroom upstairs, talking amongst themselves.

"Hey guys," Peeta says walking in, Brutus and Enobaria on his tail. "I just received some mail for you." He hands them each an envelope.

"Got to love parents," Rie says taking his envelope. He looks at the writing. "Dad must be really bored to write again so soon," he laughs.

"Uh, Peet, Rie, Wheet? I think your dad wrote me as well," Gale says shocked, opening his envelope.

"Cool," Wheet says as he opens his own envelope.

A few moments later, Gale speaks again. "He wants my permission to propose to my mother," Gale says quietly dumbfounded.

"He what!?" the three brothers exclaim at the same time.

"Cool," Cato, Marvel, and Tavin say at the same time as the brother's exclamation.

"Your dad wants to marry my mother," Gale says softly as the letter he was holding flutters to the floor and he sits on the bed in disbelief. "I hadn't realized how serious they were," he adds as he slides off the bed to the floor.

Peeta rushes over to Gale, making the older man look at him. "Gale, relax and breathe." He turns and thrusts the girl's letter towards Enobaria. "Could you please take these, find the girls, and deliver them for me? I need to be with Gale right now."

"Sure thing Peeta," Enobaria says as she takes the letters.

"They were in the room 2 doors down," Marvel tells her as she heads to the door.

"Thanks Marvel," she calls over her shoulder as she walks out the door.

Peeta's focus is back on Gale's shocked form immediately. "Gale, please relax," he says worriedly.

"What do I tell him Peet?" Gale asks not really seeing the younger man in front of him. "Why does he want my permission to ask?"

"That's easy to answer," Cato says as he kneels down next to Gale. "You are the oldest son, the 'man of the house' so to speak. If he marries your mother, he will be basically taking that title from you thus asking for your permission to do so," he explains gently.

"It just seems so sudden," Gale says, his voice shaking.

"Well, dad did go to your house to watch the games," Rie says.

"And that was a couple months ago," adds Wheet.

"Then there was the family meeting to discuss their dating," Cato also adds.

"Guys, you're not helping here," Peeta says exasperated. He looks at Gale. "You know you have time to think about this, to weigh your thoughts, and to ask your mom how she feels about my dad if you want."

At the last suggestion, Gale's eyes snap to Peeta's face. "And how do you propose I do that? I'm here in 4 and she's in 13!"

"Write her a letter," Peeta replies calmly. "Just ask her how she feels about my dad without mentioning the letter to you from him or the possible proposal."

Gale sits there, quietly thinking. He knows Peeta's probably okay with the proposal. He wonders how Rory, Vick, Rie, and Wheet feel about it. He turns to the older brothers. "I'm pretty sure I know Peeta's thoughts about all this, but I'm really curious as to what my brothers and you two feel about this Rie and Wheet."

Rie and Wheet share an amused look before turning towards Gale.

"I'm surprisingly okay with our parents getting hitched," Wheet says smiling.

"I agree with Wheet," Rie relies. "Plus if they did marry, think of how _huge _the family will become. You do know what that means?" he asks with a giant, stupid grin on his face and wiggling his eyebrows.

Gale, Peeta, and Wheet share a confused look before they turn to Rie and Gale asks, "No, what does that mean?"

"More presents on your birthday!" Rie exclaims looking at them as if they were idiots.

"You are such a dork," Wheet says shaking his head.

Gale reaches up and grabs a pillow from the bed behind him and hits Rie with it. "I don't know if I should hit you for real or make fun of you. How do you figure there will be more presents?"

"Well, you get one from the whole family now right?" Rie asks Gale.

Gale nods but is still skeptical of Rie.

"Now, as an adult you can get more because of the need for families to stick together," Rie explains.

"That makes absolutely zero sense, you moron," Wheet says as he pops Rie in the back of his head.

"Oww," Rie says rubbing the back of his head. "Allow me to dumb it down for you then O' wise one! Let's say you marry Johanna, Peeta marries Cato, I marry Camille, Rory marries Prim -"

"Rory isn't old enough to get married!" Gale states exasperated.

"Can I please finish?" Rie asks. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, all of us married. Now let's say Johanna has a kid, Peeta and Cato adopt, and Camille has a –"

"Poor fricking kid," Wheet mutters under his breath.

Rie hears but ignores his brother. "Now Gale, let's say it's your birthday and your wife Clove throws you a party inviting all your now considerably larger family. Some of us travelling long distances to be there for you. All of us come, bearing gifts. Why? The children!"

"And how does that explain anything?" Gale asks beginning to get annoyed.

"As children, we were taught you never arrive at a party empty handed. It's bad manners so you bring something either bought or hand made," Rie explains.

"Okay Rie, I think I get what you are trying to say," Gale says chuckling now.

"Wow, district 12 is weird," Brutus comments laughing and shaking his head. "Too much coal dust in the air I think."

"Hey, watch it! That is our home brainless!" Peeta teases back. Brutus laughs as do the others.

"Come on Peeta," Brutus says when the laughter dies down. "We promised we'd help Eno with that thing."

"Coming," Peeta replies sadly. He stands with help from Cato. The two share a quick yet loving look before Peeta walks out following Brutus.

Cato stands and stares at the door that Peeta just exited, a silent tear falling down his cheek.

"This fucking sucks!" Marvel exclaims. "Ever since that twat Leonitus started this mess, Peeta has been unable to hang out with us much."

"The sooner we kill Snow, the sooner this will be over. Cato and Peeta will get their happy ending and we will get Peeta back in our lives," Wheet says as he put a hand on Cato's shoulder. "We all miss spending time with him."

"I need him," is all Cato can say.

**The next chapter is Peeta's dates with Leonitus and Cato. I'm sorry this took so long to post. My daddy came for my sister's wedding last week and had decided to stay for an extra week to visit. (Yes, I'm a married adult that still calls her dad 'daddy'). I have the next 4 chapters hand written, just need to type and post. There's a chapter coming up that I can't wait to post! I didn't even see it coming lol.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**


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